Impact of N-Power Social Empowerment Programme on Youth Employment in Cross River State, Nigeria

The N-Power programme is one of the social empowerment programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari, to empower Nigerian youths for prosperity. The programme was launched on the 8th of June, 2016, to tackle issues of youth joblessness and improve the social development of young people in Nigeria. N-Power addresses the challenge of youth unemployment by providing a structure for large-scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development while linking its core and outcomes to fixing inadequate public services and stimulating the larger economy. With the increasing level of unemployment in Nigeria, the attention of scholars and indeed the general public is drawn to evaluate the impact of the programme after 7 years of implementation. This study aims to evaluate the significant impact of the N-Power social employment programme on youth employment in Cross River State. This is an empirical study. Data are obtained from a cross population of unemployed youths in the state. The chi-square statistical technique is used in testing the hypotheses stated to guide the study. The findings show that the programme has been significant in supporting skill development and youth employment, but not complemented with the needed infrastructure that supports business development. It recommends among other things, the need for the government to create an enabling environment for empowered people and donor agencies to operate.