Citation: Dada, Augustina E., Omotayo A. Adegbuyi, and Mercy E. Ogbari. 2023. Entrepreneurial Attributes and Venture Creation among Undergraduate Students of Selected Universities in Southwest, Nigeria. Administrative Sciences 13: 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/ admsci13080176 Received: 4 May 2023 Revised: 15 June 2023 Accepted: 15 June 2023 Published: 1 August 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). administrative sciences Article Entrepreneurial Attributes and Venture Creation among Undergraduate Students of Selected Universities in Southwest, Nigeria Augustina E. Dada *, Omotayo A. Adegbuyi and Mercy E. Ogbari Department of Business Management, Covenant University, Ota 12104, Nigeria; omotayo.adegbuyi@covenantuniversity.edu.ng (O.A.A.); mercy.ogbari@covenantuniversity.edu.ng (M.E.O.) * Correspondence: augustina.dadapgs@stu.cu.edu.ng Abstract: This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial attributes on venture creation among undergraduate students of selected universities in Southwest, Nigeria. The study measures the presence of entrepreneurial attributes (creativity, critical thinking, risk taking, leadership skills and resilience) among undergraduate students of selected public and private universities in Southwest, Nigeria. A total of 751 copies of questionnaires were distributed and 616 copies were returned and deemed suitable for analysis. A structural equation model (PLS 3.0) was used for the analysis. The result showed that entrepreneurial attributes contribute more to business opportunity identification, business planning and business startups. This implies that universities in Nigeria should develop these attributes (creativity, critical thinking, risk taking, leadership skills and resilience) through entrepreneurship education to reduce the rate of graduate unemployment in Nigeria. Keywords: business startup; entrepreneurial attributes; entrepreneurship education; sustainable entrepreneurship; venture creation 1. Introduction Unemployment is a significant issue in Nigeria, with many graduates struggling to find employment after completing their studies. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (2021), the unemployment rate in Nigeria stood at 33.3% in the first quarter of 2021, with a significant proportion of that figure being made up of unemployed graduates. There are various reasons for graduate unemployment in Nigeria, including a lack of job opportu- nities, inadequate skills and training and a mismatch between the skills graduates possess and the skills required by employers (Aminu 2019). Additionally, the Nigerian educational system often emphasizes theoretical knowledge over practical skills and entrepreneurship, which can make it challenging for graduates transition to the workforce. According to Ibidunni, Mozie and Ayeni (Ibidunni et al. 2020), developing students’ entrepreneurial attributes before they become graduates has been identified as one of the ways to contribute to the development of the Nigerian economy. Entrepreneurship education has been a powerful tool for developing students’ at- tributes needed to succeed in today’s rapidly changing and dynamic business environment (Boldureanu et al. 2020; Moses et al. 2016). It helps individuals become more resilient, adapt- able and innovative and prepares students to take on the challenges of entrepreneurship with confidence and enthusiasm (Ogbari et al. 2016). Entrepreneurial attributes refer to a set of personal characteristics, skills and traits that enable students to identify and pursue business opportunities successfully (Farrington et al. 2012). In the context of this study, entrepreneurial attributes are the creativity, critical thinking, risk taking, leadership skills, perseverance and resilience abilities of an entrepreneur (Kumar and Shukla 2022; Agbi and Sengsri 2022; Al-Mamary and Alshallaqi 2022; Meneghel et al. 2019; Ogbari et al. 2021). Adm. Sci. 2023, 13, 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13080176 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/admsci