Stakeholder Perceptions and Policy Implications of Early Entrepreneurship Education for Youth Unemployment Reduction in Emerging Economies: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria

ABSTRACT : Entrepreneurship education has increasingly been recognised as a strategic instrument for addressing youth unemployment in emerging economies. However, empirical evidence on how early entrepreneurship education translates into measurable developmental outcomes remains limited, particularly within institutional and leadership contexts. This study examines stakeholder perceptions and the strategic implications of early entrepreneurship education for youth unemployment reduction in Nigeria, using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach to assess direct and moderating effects. The study adopts an empirical approach to investigate how leadership orientation, institutional support, and early entrepreneurial exposure shape educational, employment and poverty outcomes among youths. Data were collected from 384 relevant stakeholders within Nigeria’s educational sector across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and analyzed using appropriate quantitative techniques. The findings indicate that early entrepreneurship education is widely perceived as a critical driver of entrepreneurial capability development, with strategic leadership playing a moderating role in translating educational initiatives into meaningful outcomes. The study contributes to management and economics scholarships by extending entrepreneurship education discourse to an emerging-economy setting. This provides evidence-based policy insights for strengthening entrepreneurship-oriented education systems. By situating entrepreneurship education within a management and policy framework, the study contributes empirical insights relevant to institutional design, leadership practice, and development-oriented policy formulation in emerging economies. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers, educational administrators, and organizational leaders seeking to leverage early entrepreneurship education for sustainable development.