ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of youth empowerment on entrepreneurial development in Edo State taking SMEs in Benin as a case study. The researcher gathered primary data information through the distribution of questionnaire. A total of 180 respondents were analysed using Chi-Square. The result of the findings reveals that there is a low level of entrepreneur development implementation in Edo State even though it has been identified as a necessary tool for youth empowerment. In the same vein has ICT training which is equally a veritable tool for youth empowerment has been neglected to the background to poor infrastructure and corruption in the country, therefore, for entrepreneur development and empowerment of youth to become a reality there must be adequate infrastructure and necessary environment for technological advancement through structural training programmes. It is recommended that Youth entrepreneurship should not be seen as a magic cure of youth unemployment. Youth entrepreneurship policies and programmes should complement broader youth employment strategies and policies;only a small proportion of young adults could become real entrepreneurs. The age and, consequently, life and work experience do matter. Youth entrepreneurship programmes and schemes tailored to the specific characteristics of each age category of youth (teenagers and/or young adults) have proved to be more effective.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the study-    -    
Statement of the Problem    -    
Research Question    -
Research Objectives    -        
Research hypotheses    -    
Scope of the Study        -
Significance of the Study-    -    
CHAPTER TWO:  LITERATURE REVIEW
     Introduction    -    -    -
2.2    Youth Entrepreneurship    -
2.3    Youth Empowerment Explained    
2.4    Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Nigeria
2.5    Entrepreneurial Education    
2.6    Need for Entrepreneurial Education for Youth
    Empowerment Youth     -
2.7    ICT Education    -    
2.8    Securing Nigeria’s Future Prosperity through
    Youth     Empowerment and Development Drive    
2.9    Theoretical Framework    
CHAPTER THREE:  METHODOLOGY
3.1    Introduction    
3.2    Research Design    
3.3    population of the study-    
3.4    Sample Size     
3.5    Source of Data-
3.6    Research Instrumentation    
3.7     Method of Data collection-
3.8    Validity Test    
3.9    Reliability Test        
3.10    Model Specification and Data Analysis Plan    -
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATION
4.1.    Introduction    -    
4.2    Data Analysis and Interpretation    
4.3    Hypothesis testing    
CHAPTER FIVE:   SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1    Introduction    -    -    -    
5.2    Summary of findings-    -    -    -
5.3    Conclusion -    -    -    -    -    
5.4    Recommendations -    -    -    -
5.5    Policy Recommendation    -    -
Bibliography    -    -    -    -    -
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1    Background to the Study
Unemployment is a major problem among the youths in developing countries, including Nigeria. According to a global employment report given by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the global youth unemployment rate decreased from 12.3 per cent in 2009 to 11.3 per cent in 2011, increased again to 12.4 per cent in 2012 and grew to 12.6 per cent in 2013 and as at 2016 it stands at 12.8 per cent. However,74.5 million youths under the age of 25 are currently unemployed globally (ILO, 2013). Thisday Newspaper of25 March, 2014 (cited the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics who) put the current youth unemployment rate inNigeria at 25%. This implies that over 40 million Nigerian youths are unemployed. According to Odia and Odia(2013), the unemployment rate of Nigeria was put at about 19.7 per cent above world average of 14.2 per centby the World Bank and with 41.6 percent unemployment rate reported for youth in the 18 to 24 years agebracket. Corroborating this, Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance) was reported in the VanguardNewspaper (April14, 2014) to have said that 1.8 million Nigerian youths enter the labour market annually andnot all are absorbed.
    The unemployment crisis particularly in Nigeria is traceably to the disequilibrium between labourmarket requirements and lack of essential employable skills by the graduates. These critical skills gap inhibit thedevelopment of the entire nation (Diejonah and Orimolade, 1991; Dabaler, Oni and Adekola, 2000, cited inOviawe, 2010). Interestingly, organizations and governments have recognized the capacity of information andcommunication technologies (ICTs) education to ameliorate the situation by providing youth empowermentprogrammes. It was reported by News 24 Nigeria on 26th May, 2013 that Akwa Ibom State government willtrain as many as three hundred youths on ICT and entrepreneurship program. The State Government was said tohave signed a memorandum of understanding with NNPC and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited(NNPC/MPN) to train youths in the State. Four hundred and fifty unemployed graduates have already beentrained on ICT and entrepreneurship in the first phase of the programme.
According to Onuoha (2007), “Entrepreneurshipis the practice of starting new organizations or revitalizing mature organizations, particularly new businesses generally in response to identified opportunities.” And Schumpeter(1965) defined entrepreneurs“as individuals who exploit market opportunity through technical and/or organizational innovation”. Bolton and Thompson (2000) have defined an entrepreneur as “a person who habitually creates and innovates to build something of recognized value around perceived opportunities”. Hisrich (1990) defined that an entrepreneur is characterized as “someone who demonstrates initiative and creative thinking, is able to organizesocial and economic mechanisms to turn resources and situations to practical account, and accepts risk and failure”. Thomas and Mueller (2000) argue that the study of entrepreneurship should be expanded from local to international markets with the aim to investigate the conditions and characteristics that encourage entrepreneurial activity in various countries of the world.
In order to investigate youth entrepreneurship and monitor and evaluate policies designed to promote it, a definition of youth entrepreneurship is necessary. Unfortunately there is not a generally agreed upon definition of the terms “entrepreneurship”, “entrepreneur” or “youth entrepreneurship” in the literature yet. For the purpose of this study, we favour a behaviourally-based definition instead of a trait-based approach. Thus entrepreneurship is a set of behaviours and an entrepreneur is someone who undertakes these behaviours. Using a behavioural definition facilitates the analyses of youth  entrepreneurship, as it is easier to observe what young entrepreneurs do and how they do it than to identify their particular “entrepreneurial” traits and qualities – suggesting that entrepreneurship is innate, rather than something that can be learned.
1.2    Statement of the Problem
Youth empowerment through entrepreneurial development is a vital tool for the upliftment of a country’s socio-economic and political development, more especially the developing countries like Nigeria. Regrettably, the problems facing youth empowerment include: corruption on the part of public servants, harsh economic situations, lack of political will, inconsistencies in policy implementation, and greed on the part of our leaders. Although the government has been finding out ways of resolving this problem through provision of entrepreneurial development programmes, information and communications technology as well as structural training, but the question that bears to mind remains will entrepreneurship development programmesnecessarily translate to youth empowerment and a subsequent lift of employment? Is ICT and various structural training education a necessary boost to youth empowerment? As aresult of the issues raised above the following research questions are given;
1.3    Research questions
What is the relationship between entrepreneurship development programmes and youth empowerment?
Is there any relationship between the teaching of information and communications technology and youth empowerment?
What is the relationship between structural training programmes and youth empowerment?
1.4    Research objectives
To examine the relationship between entrepreneurship development programmes and youth empowerment.
To determine the relationship between the teaching of information and communications technology and youth empowerment.
To evaluate the relationship between structural training programmes and youth empowerment.
1.5    Research Hypothesis
The hypothesis will be stated in their null form
H0: There is no relationship between entrepreneurship development programmes and youth empowerment.
H0: There is no relationship between the teaching of information and communications technology and youth empowerment.
H0: There is no relationship between structural training and youth empowerment.
1.6    Scope of the Study
This research is cantered on entrepreneur development and youth empowerment in Nigeria taking Edo State as a case study with a sample size of 200 entrepreneurs in view so as to gather relevant information regarding the subject matter. A period of at least 3years of business operation will be considered.
1.7    Significance of the Study
This study will be relevant to the following groups
Entrepreneurs: existing and intending entrepreneurs will find information in this work very relevant especially in their desire improve entrepreneurial skills through training programmes
Youths: especially the unemployed will tape from the rich information in this study on how to be empowered and the benefit of empowerment so as to create a future for themselves.
Government: government has always been the fore runner of most empowerment programmes and as a result this work will create a better direction to government training and structural programmes geared towards economic development