Youth Participation in Entrepreneurship Skill Acquisition Programmes in Southern Taraba State: Scope, Trends and Determinants

Southern Taraba State exhibits a high level of youth unemployment as there is little industry to provide formal opportunities. Current labour statistics report youth unemployment rates exceeding 40 per cent, which jeopardises social stability and growth. This paper evaluates the responsive actions of entrepreneurship skill acquisition programmes in terms of the participation scope, the emerging trends, and the determinants. Between January and March 2025, a survey of 450 youths in Bali, Donga, Takum, Ussa, and Wukari Local Government Areas was done. Structured questionnaires were used to capture demographic information and programme exposure, and perceived barriers, whereas six key informant interviews helped in deepening context. A rate of participation was summarised using descriptive statistics; chi square tests and binary logistic regression were used to identify significant predictors at a level of p<0.05. Narratives obtained in the interviews were coded in a thematic manner, and combined with survey findings, which made them more credible. SPSS version 28 was used in the analysis of data. The results indicate that 62 percent of the participants had signed up to at least one programme; however, continued participation fell to 38 percent at six months. The involvement increased between 2019 and 2024 due to mobile based training and cooperative mentoring. Other factors that increased the likelihood of engagement consisted of gender, secondary education completion, access to microcredit information, and parental support, and factors that decreased the likelihood of engagement consisted of distance to training centres and cultural expectations. The study finds that the youth involvement is experiencing an increasing and uneven participation. Policymakers ought to decenter training hubs, to incorporate digital modules, and pair programmes with starter finance. More research ought to monitor long term survival of the enterprises in order to measure the actual programme effect.