Assessing the Performance of Cooperativesin Youths Empowerment in Enugu State, Nigeria

Background: Youths face socio-economic challenges like poverty, unemployment and limited education among others. Co-operatives are known to support entrepreneurship and credit access. Previous studies have highlighted the benefits of co-operatives in entrepreneurship, credit access, and skill development, they have primarily focused on broader populations or different geographical areas. While co-operatives have the potential to curb social issues like poverty and unemployment among others, their performance in this capacity has not been sufficiently assessed. This study addresses the gap by appraising co-operative performance in youth empowerment, examining member involvement, and offering strategies to enhance their effectiveness in addressing youth socio-economic challenges. Objective: This study assessed the performance of co-operatives in youth empowerment in Enugu State, Nigeria. Method: The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study, and was carried out in Enugu State, Nigeria. Both primary and secondary data were used with 302 members of 16 selected registered multipurpose co-operatives sampled, via a simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire, validated through content and face validity. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument, with a reliability coefficient of 0.85, showing that the instrument was reliable. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency tables, simple percentages and mean through a 5-point Likert Scale. Formulated hypotheses were tested using simple linear regression at 0.05 level of significance. Results: Co-operatives had significant and positive impact on poverty reduction among the youths and job creation for the youths in Enugu State. Conclusion: Co-operatives significantly and positively perform in poverty reduction among the youths and in creating jobs for the youths in Enugu State. Unique Contribution: This study highlights that co-operatives significantly reduce poverty and create jobs for youths in Enugu State, demonstrating their effectiveness in youth empowerment Key Recommendation: Thestate government and stakeholders should promote and support co-operatives in poverty alleviation initiatives by providing resources to improve their effectiveness in reducing poverty and that co-operative leaders in the state should initiate mentorship programs to guide youths in business management, offering workshops on financial management and entrepreneurship.