In order to improve on the curriculum and participation rate of adult learners in the current Adult Basic
Education (ABE) program in Nigeria, this explorative study investigated the entrepreneurial (or vocational)
training needs of illiterate women in Cross River State (CRS). Three research questions were posed to elicit from
the participants their demographic characteristics, perception of the ABE program and perceived entrepreneurial
training needs. The descriptive-survey design was adopted for the study. The focus group discussion along with
probing interview sessions were held with a sample of 240 women learners drawn from the urban and rural ABE
centers. Frequencies, percentages and bar charts were used to report the data. The study shows that majority of
the women are young, single, unemployed and dropped out of school and perceived the current ABE as not
meeting their needs. Majority of the subjects desire training in home management, clothing and textiles. Those in
the rural areas prefer training in agricultural production. A few of those in the urban centers prefer training in
computer/secretarial related skills. The major conclusion of the study is that the learners (women) should be
involved in identifying their learning needs that would at the end of the program empower them to improve on
their livelihoods.