ABSTRACT
This study analyzed participation of graduate beneficiaries in N - power agripreneurship social development programme in Abia State, Nigeria. Specifically it described the socio-economic characteristics of respondents, assessed respondents’ motives for enrolling in the programme, assessed perceptions of respondents about the programme activities, ascertained the levels of participation of respondents in agripreneurship programme activities, ascertained extent of outcomes derived by respondents participating in agripreneurship programme activities and examined constraints to participation of respondents in the programme activities in the study area.Multi-stage random sampling procedure was used in the selection of eighty (80)graduate beneficiaries that participated in N-power agripreneurship social development programme. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as; frequency counts, percentages and mean scores and inferential statistics (multiple regression analysis).Results of socio-economic characteristics of respondents showed that most (67.50%) of the respondents were males, with mean ages of 31 years, while most (66.25%) were single, with mean household size of 4 persons as against 23.75% that obtained MSc/BSc in different disciplines while, 33.50% graduated in agricultural sciences. The result also showed that the participants had high ( =2.7) motives for enrollment in the programme, had favourable perception ( =3.1) and high participation ( =2.3) and outcomes ( =3.3) from the agripreneurship programme activities. Multiple regression resultsshowed that coefficients for gender (-2.60**), age (-3.01***), number of trainings (2.57**), incentive received (2.91***) and stipend paid (3.94***)influenced graduate beneficiaries in N-power agripreneurship programme activities whereas, coefficients for psychological development (3.81***), mastery of skills (-3.99***),positive identity (2.63**), civic participation (-2.68**) and understanding needs/wants (2.73**) influenced participation outcomes derived by respondents from agripreneurship activities of social development programme. Participation of graduate beneficiaries were seriously constrained by low self-interest, shortage of training materials, bureaucratic and administrative bottlenecks and delayed stipend payments.The study therefore recommended that government should encourage and strengthen the capability of graduates, proper funding, prompt payment of monthly stipends and focus on ways to attract and encourage young graduates who are agile and strong to participate in the agripreneurship N-power programmes.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Declaration
ii
Certification
iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement
v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables
ix
List of Figures x
Abstract
xi
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of Problem 6
1.3 Research
Questions 7
1.4 Objectives
of the Study 8
1.5 Hypothesis
of the Study 9
1.6 Justification
of the Study 9
1.7 Definition
of Terms 10
1.8 Limitations
of the Study 12
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE
REVIEW 14
2.1 Entrepreneurship Skills for Agricultural
Development in Nigeria 14
2.2 Emerging
Trends of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture: An Implication
for
Empowerment 18
2.3 Youth
and Unemployment in Nigeria 20
2.4 Overview
of Government Youth Employment Programmes 22
2.5
Reasons for Unemployment Policies
Failure 24
2.6 “N-Power”
Youth Social Investment Programme 25
2.7 The Concept of N-Power Programme 26
2.7.1 Types of participation 28
2.7.2 Types of participation in research 29
2.8 Challenges
to Rural Youth Participation in Agricultural
Development Programmes 31
CHAPTER
3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 35
3.1 The
Study Area 35
3.2 Population
of the Study 38
3.3 Sample
and Sampling Procedure 38
3.4 Data Collection 38
3.5 Validity of Instrument 38
3.6 Reliability of Instrument 39
3.7 Data Analysis 39
3.8 Measurement of Variables 39
3.9 Model Specifications
41
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION 45
4.1 Socio-Economic
Characteristics of Respondents 45
4.1.1 Gender 47
4.1.2 Age 47
4.1.3 Marital
status 47
4.1.4 Household
size 48
4.1.5 Education 50
4.1.6 Course
of study 50
4.1.7 Distance
to training venue 50
4.1.8 Distance
to work 41
4.2 Motives of Graduate Beneficiaries for
Enrolling in Agripreneurship
Programme of N-Power Social
Development Programme 52
4.3 Perception
of N-Power Graduate Beneficiaries About the
Agripreneurship
Programme Activities 54
4.4
Participation of N-Power Graduate
Beneficiaries in the Agripreneurship Programme Activities 56
4.5 Participation Outcomes Derived From N-Power
Graduate Beneficiaries in
Agripreneurship
Programme Activities 58
4.6 Constraints to
Participation of N-Power Graduate Beneficiaries in
Agripreneurship Programme Activities 60
Test
of Hypotheses
61
CHAPTER 5:
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 69
5.1 Summary 69
5.2 Conclusion 73
5.3 Recommendations 73
References 75
Appendices
LIST
OF TABLES
4.1:
Distribution of respondents according to socio-economic characteristics of
graduate beneficiaries of the programme 46
4.1b:
Distribution of respondents according to socio-economic
characteristics of graduate beneficiaries of the programme 49
4.2:
Mean frequency distribution of respondents according to the motives of
enrolling in agripreneurship
programme 52
4.3:
Mean frequency distribution of respondents
according to their perception
about agripreneurship activities of the programme 54
4.4: Mean frequency distribution of respondents
according to their participation in agripreneurship
programme activities 56
4.5: Mean frequency distribution of
respondents according to participation outcomes
derived from the agripreneurship programme activitie
58
4.6:
Mean distribution of respondents according to constraints to participation in
agripreneurship
programme activities
60
4.7:
Multiple regression estimates of the socio-economic determinants of n-power
graduate beneficiaries’
participation in n-power agripreneurship programme activities in Abia State, Nigeria 62
4.8:
Multiple regression estimates of determinants of participation outcomes of
graduate beneficiaries in N-power agripreneurship
programme in Abia State, Nigeria
66
LIST OF FIGURES
1: Map Showing the Local Government Areas in Abia State,
Nigeria
37
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Nigeria
is obviously gifted with agro-entrepreneurship prospects; nevertheless, the grasping
of the complete possibilities of these prospects has been constantly dampened
by the continuous non- involvement of youths in policies at different stages of
programme development (Pev and Yaro, 2017: Esiobu, Onubuogu and Ibe; 2015;
Nwaobiala, and Ogbonna, 2017). Agripreneurship characterizes the riches creation exercises
among economies of the world; and it is likewise the best answer for tackling unemployment
(Umeh, et al., 2020; Nwofoke et al., 2020). A
major concern of the Federal Government in Nigeria is how to tackle the problem
of unemployment, as the country has been contending with heightened rate of
unemployment within the last 30 years. Available records show that the challenge
of unemployment was most overwhelming or at its peak in the preceding five
years. This was further worsened in the wake of the country falling into
recession in 2016 and the attendant termination of duty of workers by
organizations in the diverse sectors of the economy (National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS), 2017).
Graduate
unemployment has become one of the developmental challenges in almost every
developing country of the world in the 21st century. According to
International Labour Organisation (ILO) 2018), youths are made up of as much as
57 percent of the over-all working age (15 years and above) population of the
world in 2017. The report further shows that about 60 million young people
(80%) are unemployed which makes youths to be nearly three times as adults that
were unemployed in world. Similarly, youth unemployment grows annually at more
than 15 percent rate in all the developing countries all over the world. Nigeria’s
past record has shown that approximately 80 million of the 140 million populace
are youths amongst the age range of 10 and 24 years (Nigeria Population
Reference Bureau, 2017). Nonetheless, the National rate of joblessness in
Nigeria was projected to be 23.9 percent of which 70 % represented the youth
proportions (Small, 2017). However, the issues leading to unemployment of youth
in Nigeria are rural-urban migration, rural underemployment and urban
unemployment, rapid population growth, absence of vibrant manufacturing sector
and lack of employable skills among others (Salihu, Muhammed, Adbullahi and Muhammed,
2018).
Youth
empowerment has been an issue of concern over the years for successive and present-day
governments and has become one of the terms equated with development. The term
empowerment links action to needs. It is also a concept that does not merely
concern personal identity but brings out a broader human and societal
development (Harry, 2016). The absence of youth empowerment in Nigeria usually
result to activities of miscreants such as militancy, like in the Niger Delta,
communal crises, the deadly Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, incessant
farmers-herders violence, political thuggery, banditry and trafficking, hence,
upsetting the seemingly peaceful and stable socio-political situation (Aiyedogbon and Ohwofasa, 2018;
Salami, 2013).
Literally,
the term participation simply means involvement. The participation of different
actors especially the beneficiaries in stages of programme development is
considered very crucial because it gives room for project ownership and the
propensity to guide and protect the project from vandalism (Umeh, 2018).
This is similar to the ability of the beneficiaries to make use of the
available resources and benefits from it. In line with the fore-going, Abali,
Adesope and Ifenkwe (2019) stated that it can be argued that a process cannot
be labelled “participative” if the recipients do not have rights and access to
be involved in planning and decision making process. Consequently, Paul (2011)
defined participation as the dynamic procedure whereby recipients impact the
bearing and execution of improvement venture as opposed to just get a portion
of the project benefits.
Nigeria
has huge arable land yet the nation has kept on going through colossal totals
of cash bringing in food to meet the food needs of the populace. This required
the administration and non-legislative associations to energize youths,
particularly the unemployed alumni in entrepreneurship advancement plans, to
address the twin difficulties of monstrous unemployment and national food
uncertainty (Amaefule, 2016). Empowerment of youths in rural areas through
agricultural development programmes is of the opinion that though efforts has
being made by government to reduce poverty and vulnerability through the
introduction of different youth programmes (Agwun, Nwankwo and Anyanwu,
(2013). Gonyok (2016) has maintained that, “As soon as
the youths are empowered with agricultural innovative skills and are capable of
setting up functional businesses also engage in job creation, the degree of
poverty in the nation would be minimized likewise the rate of criminality”.
The
emphasis of youth engagement is on guaranteeing that youngsters take an
interest in top notch programmess (Nwaobiala, 2015). Youth engagement is tied
in with helping youngsters discover exercises they are energetic about. Another
thought of youth engagement accentuates the estimation of youth voice and
input, or having a state in issues that influence them. Some consider youth and
grown-ups all in all sharing dynamic force and power to be a sign of youth
engagement, as scientists and professionals to a great extent concur that every
one of these types of youth engagement, progressed nicely, are useful for
youngsters, programs and networks (Sullivan, 2011).
Different
districts in Nigeria have planned and executed a few self-empowerment programs
to improve the financial empowerment of the unemployed through training on
different agricultural entrepreneurial skills (Odey and Sambe, 2019: Nwaobiala
and Nzeakor, 2016; Gonyok, 2016). Entrepreneurship is associated with
innovative and dynamic developments within the Small, Micro and Medium
Enterprise sector (United States Department of Agriculture, 2011). Onubuogu and
Esiobu (2014) opined that practical improvement of agribusiness requires the
advancement of entrepreneurial and hierarchical competency in ranchers. The
improvement of entrepreneurial abilities in agriculture is a significant
condition to create sustainable rural development (Yaro, Gadu and Pev, 2016).
Umar, Nyameh and Jauro (2014) affirmed that entrepreneurship is an mechanism
for refining the quality of life for families and communities, and for
sustaining a fit economy and condition, encouraging entrepreneurship aptitude
must be viewed as a direly required turn of events component. Uzezi, (2014) and
Popoola, (2014) also noted that entrepreneurship is the application of energy
for initiating and building an enterprise. The data from Nigerian University
Commission shows that enormous unemployment exists among most alumni of
tertiary foundations in the nation; a circumstance that was supposed to be
recognizable to the disequilibrium between labor advertise prerequisites and
basic employment aptitudes of these alumni. The circumstance is wretched in
light of the fact that as the labor power develops, with an expanding extent of
youth, employment development is insufficient to retain labor advertise
contestants (Aiyedogbon
and Ohwofasa, 2018).
Agricultural
extension is a key to any meaningful food security programme, which encompasses
improved agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. The role
of frontline extension agents in grass root extension for higher productivity
is overemphasized (Nwaobiala, 2015; Adeoye, 2015). Over the years, the staffing
situation in the States’ Agricultural Extension Agencies, the Agricultural
Development Programmes (ADPs) has become most worrisome with declining
population. This was as a result of staff ageing, retirements, resignations and
deaths without replacements in most of the states. This has caused a systematic
weakening of the extension system and a resultant stagnation in agricultural
productivity improvements (N-Power Information Guide, 2017). Nwofoke, Nwibo, Umeh, Igboji, Ezeh and Nbam, (2020) asserted that unfavourable government policies, multiple taxation, poor access to
finance, absence of instruction and preparing, ecological issues and defilement
have stayed significant imperatives to new businesses by youngsters in Nigeria that
were involved in agripreneurship activities.
To
address this, huge unemployment exists among most alumni of tertiary
establishments in the nation; a circumstance that was supposed to be
discernible to the disequilibrium between labour advertised necessities and
basic employment aptitudes of these alumni. The circumstance is despicable on
the grounds that as the labour power develops, with an expanding extent of
youth, employment development is insufficient to ingest labour in showcasing
contestants to develop strategic intervention. The intervention involves the
recruitment and capacity building of 100,000 unemployed graduates to provide
agricultural extension support services effectively nationwide. This
intervention has a double-pronged advantage of creating employment for the
teeming population of unemployed graduates and also improving agricultural
extension delivery services (N-Power (Agro) 2017). The N-power which is a National
Social Investment Programme was pointed explicitly at work creation and youth empowerment
through human capital development. The center target of the programme appear to
depend on aptitudes procurement and improvement of the Nigerian youth, both
taught and non-instructed, who had insignificant any desire for making sure
about occupations, even at the base level expected to endure or raise a family (Okoro
and Bassey, 2018; N-Power Information Guide 2017; Department for International
Development (DFID), 2017).
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
In
most parts, unemployment in Nigeria seems, by all accounts, to be on reliable
ascent and supposedly prevails among the working populace which included a huge
extent of the youth who additionally comprise the greater part of populace of
the nation (Bison, 2019). With the huge number of graduates being produced
yearly, the already saturated labour market can no longer sustain the output
calling for government intervention. However unemployment has kept on being a
significant test of the Nigerian state. To be sure, Nigeria has been thinking
about high pace of unemployment over the most recent 30 years. The unemployment
circumstance in Nigeria has exacerbated throughout the years (Beetseh and
Ahima, 2012). Available statistics show that unemployment rate as a level of
complete labor power in Nigeria developed from 13.10 percent in 2000 to 21.10
percent and 23.90 percent in 2010 and 2011 individually (Gonyok, 2016;Oduwole,
2015). Unemployment makes a wide scope of social ills and youngsters are
especially vulnerable to its harming impacts to be specific, absence of
aptitudes, low confidence, underestimation and wasting of enormous time
resources. These problems associated with unemployment can be solved by
empowering the youth through agricultural development projects which will
enable them have opportunities for self-employment in agriculture and other
sector in the rural economy (World Bank 2016;Ajani et al, 2015). Yet, agriculture has the capability of retaining the
enormous unemployed and underemployed youth populace to cause them to
contribute definitively to financial development and national turn of events.
Then again, there can only be a meaningful development in agriculture if the
youths are given the opportunity to participate actively in the developmental
programmes (ILO, 2014).
The
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) information shows that all unemployment and
underemployment expanded from 37.2 percent in the second quarter of 2017 to 40
percent in the second from last quarter of 2017. The NBS report likewise shows
that 67.3 percent of youngsters, especially those between the ages of 15-24
years were either underemployed or unemployed, while those between the ages of
25 – 34 years slight expanded from 22.2 percent to 22.3 percent in the second
from last quarter of 2017. Knowing that aptitudes and knowledge are the main
thrusts of economic development and social turn of events; the Administration
of President Buhari in 2016, through N-Power, engaged and conveyed 200,000
youthful Nigerians in agriculture advancement venture spread across the Local
Government Areas in Nigeria. Another 300,000 young graduates were added in 2017,
bringing to total of 500,000 being empowered (National
Bureau of Statistic 2017; Akujuru and Enyioko, (2019).
Though these figures are mind
burgling, in spite of the various strategies of
successive governments, one wonders if the desired goal of empowering the youth
can be achieved through the N-Power or that the unemployment will continue to
increase unabated. However, the levels of participation of the unemployed
graduates in the programme are not yet ascertained because of other training
mandates of the programme. It therefore becomes expedient that the study
provides answers the following research questions.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions guided the study:
i.
What
are the socio-economic characteristics of respondents?
ii.
What are the motive(s) of respondents for enrolling in agripreurship
activities of the programme?
iii.
What
are the perceptions of respondents about the agripreurship activities of the programme?
iv.
What
are the levels of participation of respondents in the agripreurship activities
of the programme?
v.
What
is the extent of outcomes derived by respondents participating in agripreurship
activities of the programme?
vi.
What are the constraints to participation of respondents in agripreurship
activities of the programme in the study area?
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The broad objective of this study is
to analyzed participation of graduate beneficiaries in N- power
agripreurship social development programme in Abia State, Nigeria
The Specific Objectives
of the study were to;
i.
describe
the socio-economic characteristics of respondents
ii.
assess respondents’ motives for enrolling in agripreneurship
activities of the programme
iii.
assess
perceptions of respondents about the agripreneurship activities of the
programme
iv.
ascertain
the levels of participation of respondents in the agripreneurship activities of
the programme
v.
ascertain
extent of outcomes derived by respondents’ participating in agripreneurship activities
of the programme; and
vi.
examine constraints to participation of respondents in agripreneurship
activities of the programme in the study area
1.5 HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY
The following hypotheses were tested:
Ho1: Factors such as gender,
age, marital status, education background, course of
study, household size, distance to training venue, learning condition, stipend, incentive and
number of training do not influence respondents participation in agripreneurship
activities of the programme.
Ho2: Participation of graduates was not
significantly influenced by outcomes they derive from agripreneurship
activities of the programme.
1.6
JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY
The
study provided facts that add more knowledge on existing information about
N-Power, the main factors that motivated the beneficiaries for participating in
the programme and their agro-based
training programmes and how beneficiaries perceive the agripreneurship
activities of the programme. The study had assessed agripreneurship activities of
the graduates were mostly involved and as they made valuable inputs for its
implementation. However, the study also revealed the participation outcomes
derived by the respondents and main factors that influenced their participation
as well as the constraint factors that hindered their participation in these
agripreneurship activities in the state. Furthermore, the study has helped to
determine the factors that influenced participation of graduate beneficiaries
and the outcomes they derive from participating in the progrramme The findings
of this study provided policy makers and agricultural administrators with
relevant data they need to make sound policies when planning for the
agricultural sector and youth social investment programmes powered by the
Federal Government.
It serves as a primary tool to understand the
effectiveness of their policies of youth empowerment; thereby, serving as a
guide for formulating, tracking and evaluating policies, plans, programmes and
projects meant for youth empowerment in the future. The findings of this research should
be of interest to Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other international
agencies that are interested designing and financing poverty reduction
strategies for the unemployed in the country. Finally, the contents and
findings of this study should provide excellent conceptual guide and reference
sources to research scholars and students interested in a related field of study.
‘
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Participation:
The act of working with others in making value judgments and determining course
of action within a social situation and structure. It can be described as the
degree to which the benefactors of a programme or project are involved or
engaged in the activities of a programme.
Perception:
This is refers to a negative or positive, wrong or right feelings normal or
abnormal view point of a concept
Engagement: This is a direct involvement of marginalized group in a
development process, which aims to build people’s capacities to have access to
and control of resources, benefits and opportunities towards self-reliance and
improved quality of life.
Youth
participation: This refers to the process of
involving young people in institution and decision that affect their lives. For
the purpose of the study, youth participation refers to the involvement of
youth in agricultural activities.
Motives: This is defined as the reason for
doing something or engaging in any activity.
N-Power: N-Power
is an integrative program set by government that gives a stage where most
Nigerians can get to abilities securing and improvement. As of now be that as
it may, the underlying particular programs in N-Power are intended for Nigerian
residents between the ages of 18 and 35 years.
N-Power Agro: This is a progamme intended
to provide advisory services and disseminate the knowledge to farmers across
the country.
Youth: Youth
is the hour of life among adolescence and adulthood (development). Youths are additionally
viewed as those people between the ages of 18 and 35 years (Federal Ministry of
Youth Development, 2009).
Youth Empowerment: Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, basic, and
social procedure whereby youngsters gain the capacity, authority, and organization
to settle on choices and actualize change in their own lives (Obadan,
2017).
Unemployment:
Under Nigerian context, unemployment is seen as the extent of labor power that
was available for work however didn't work in the week, going before the overview
time frame for in any event 40 hours. Those that is willing and prepared to do
working, but unable to find a better employment (National Bureau of Statistics
(NBS) 2017).
Agribusiness:
This consists of all industries surrounding food production, ultimate end-user
is the consumer, with marketing as the driving force behind all profitable
activities.
Entrepreneurship: This refers to an individual’s ability to turn ideas into reasonable
action. It covers risk taking, creativity, discovery, invention, innovation and
enterprise as well as the ability to plan, manage, coordinate and control
projects in order to achieve objectives of a predetermined goal.
Agripreneurship: This refers to the ability of an individual to create
jobs for themselves through agricultural activities or agro-allied ventures
Agricultural Activities: These
are activities or practices directly related to the production or processing of
crops, fruit trees, livestock and poultry which is usually undertaken or
engaged by an individual.
1.8
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
In
the course of this study, the researcher encountered problems. The contact of
the N =Power beneficiaries were a bit difficult to locate because most were not
found in their work place, whereby the second batches of the beneficiaries were
used who seem to be readily available during the time of the research as it
affected the sample size.
Login To Comment