Uprooting Poverty and Unemployment Through Youth Entrepreneurship Leadership and Skills Development

Abstract

This chapter interrogates the notion of youth entrepreneurship and leadership as the pathway towards dealing with youth poverty and unemployment in the context of South Africa. Entrepreneurship is gaining currency as one of the panacea for youth unemployment and underemployment within the government cycles and youth-orientated organizations. For youth entrepreneurship and leadership interventions to yield desired results, young people should master technology and be innovative in developing and growing sustainable businesses. It is against this that this chapter argues that through entrepreneurial mind-set together with innovative skills and competencies as well as financial and infrastructural support, young people could make a dent on existing poverty and unemployment challenges. Youth entrepreneurial organizations and projects are used to demonstrate the opportunities and challenges of using youth entrepreneurship as one of the pathways to deal with poverty and unemployment in South Africa.