Youth Empowerment, Tourism Development and Crime Prevalence in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State

This study examines the relationship between youth empowerment, tourism development and crime prevalence in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Beyond conventional empowerment schemes, the study situates tourism-based livelihood diversification, an area of shared relevance to social work and hospitality and tourism management, as a complementary strategy for engaging youths productively and reducing their vulnerability to crime. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised youths in Abak Local Government Area, from which a sample of three hundred and seventy-five (375) respondents was drawn using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection, and one null hypothesis was tested using the chi-square (χ²) statistic at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between skills acquisition programmes and crime reduction among youths in the study area, with the calculated chi-square value (478.8) exceeding the critical value (9.488) at 4 degrees of freedom. The study further argues, on the strength of existing literature, that funding of youth businesses, availability of business opportunities and the deliberate integration of tourism-based enterprises, such as hospitality services, event tourism and community-based cultural tourism, into existing empowerment schemes could broaden the range of legitimate livelihood options available to youths and reinforce crime-reduction outcomes. It is recommended, among others, that government empowerment programmes be redesigned around a participatory approach that incorporates tourism and hospitality skills training, that human capital investment in youths be scaled up, and that outreach be extended to youths irrespective of ethnic, cultural, religious, geographical or political affiliation.