UNIDEL don champions innovation-driven solutions for climate change, biodiversity problems

Dr. Ernest Jebolise Chukwuka, a distinguished researcher and Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at the University of Delta, Agbor, is spearheading a shift in how climate change and biodiversity problems can be solved using his  Ecopreneurship model for environmental sustainability. Ecopreneurship is an entrepreneurial model for environmental sustainability which encourages the production of eco friendly goods and services for environmental preservation. 

Dr. Chukwuka reiterated that since 80% of  climate change issues like  rising temperatures, extreme weather events like heat waves and droughts, sea level rise, and disruptions to ecosystems and biodiversity, issues of environmental degradation and ozone layer depletion are all caused by the activities of profit driven entrepreneurs, that is why he created another entrepreneurial approach towards solving the problem using his Ecopreneurship model. This model recently earned him recognition by United Nations Environmental Programme. 

This groundbreaking work in Ecopreneurship, which is an environmentally conscious business model is helping students and policymakers reimagine business not just as a path to profit, but as a force for ecological preservation. 

In a world confronting biodiversity loss and climate change, he insists that the next generation of entrepreneurs must also be environmental stewards.

“Business can no longer ignore the environment. Ecopreneurship is about making sustainability profitable and making profit sustainable,” he told Nigerian Tribune in a recent feature.

His influence has extended beyond the classroom. Universities and business schools across Africa and beyond are now integrating his models into their curricula, and his work is being cited in global policy conversations on sustainable development and enterprise. 

Dr. Chukwuka’s impact doesn’t stop with environmental sustainability innovative research solutions because his  

entrepreneurial wealth creation theory is taught and practiced across African institutions. 

His vision is clearly on how entrepreneurship in Africa must transcend Western templates and instead draw strength from local realities.\

With over 60 academic publications and bestselling books to his name, Dr. Chukwuka has become a thought leader in applied entrepreneurship. His latest intellectual breakthrough — the Entrepreneurial Wealth Creation Theory — offers a compelling blueprint for wealth generation without heavy financial investment. At the heart of the model is the idea that societal challenges are untapped markets waiting to be converted into enterprise.

“Entrepreneurship in Africa cannot be solely about startup funding or venture capital,” Chukwuka explains. “It must begin with a deep understanding of our communities — their pain points, needs, and daily struggles. That’s where real opportunity lies.”

Central to this new theory is a framework he calls POSMOW, an acronym for Problems, Opportunities, Solutions, Monetary rewards, and Wealth. Through this model, Dr. Chukwuka teaches students how to turn everyday problems into solutions that drive both impact and income.

His research is not just academic, it’s being applied in communities, start-up hubs, and even national innovation strategies.

In a landscape where young African scholars often struggle for visibility, Chukwuka’s rise is a powerful counter-narrative. He champions homegrown intellectual capital and urges governments and academic institutions to invest in local research. “We don’t need to import all our ideas. Africa has thinkers. Africa has innovators. We must fund them, trust them, and scale their ideas,” he says.

As a mentor to budding entrepreneurs and researchers, Dr. Chukwuka continues to stress the importance of relevance in academic work. “It’s not enough to publish,” he says. “Our research must be actionable. It must create jobs, solve problems, and shift systems.”

At a time when many young Africans feel boxed in by economic limitations, Chukwuka’s message is electrifying: wealth begins with a question: What problem can I solve?

Through his work, Dr. Ernest Chukwuka is not just building theories he’s building a new generation of change-makers armed with knowledge, vision, and an unwavering belief in Africa’s potential.