Youths’ Interest in Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria

Abstract

This article and study examined youths’ interest in entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Data were collected through a systematic review of relevant literature and a structured questionnaire. The data from the questionnaire were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed that 60.25% of the respondents were not aware of any government programme for entrepreneurship development. Also, 52% of the respondents did not think the government provided the necessary support for the adequate development of entrepreneurship. A total of 58.25% of the respondents expressed their intention to start up a business within three years, and 54% of the respondents believed that they had the capacity to start and run a business on their own. Youths’ perception of the role of government in the development of entrepreneurship was found to have a significantly weak and negative relationship with their intention to start up a business (r = -0.103, p < 0.05). Also, youths’ perception of the role of government in the development of entrepreneurship was found to have a significantly weak and negative relationship with their ability to start up a business (r = -0.104, p < 0.05). This indicates that youths’ interest in entrepreneurship and a willingness to start up businesses largely occur outside the framework of government support. However, this does not exonerate the government from promoting the development of entrepreneurship. Therefore, this paper contends that the Nigerian government should create a suitable environment for entrepreneurship to thrive among youths.