YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON UNEMPLOYMENT REDUCTION AMONG YOUTHS IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study focused on youth empowerment and its effect on unemployment reduction among youths in Taraba State, Nigeria. Specifically, it investigated the effect of educational empowerment and economic empowerment on unemployment reduction. The study was anchored on empowerment theory. Survey research design was adopted; the population of the study consists of 664,699 youths across the Sixteen (16) local Government Areas of Taraba state. This study used both secondary and primary sources of data; secondary data was sourced through established record such as reports, journals, databases, and official statistics, while the primary data was collected with the aids of observations, interviews and structured questionnaire on five-point likert scale administered to the sample size of four hundred (400) youths across the state. This study used stratified random sampling technique in selecting the respondents. The hypothesis of the study was tested using multiple regression analysis. The result revealed that both educational empowerment and economic empowerment have a significant positive effect on unemployment reduction among youths in Taraba State. Based on the findings the study recommended that Taraba State government should establish community-based vocational training centers across local government areas in the State, integrated into the formal education system, to equip youths with both academic knowledge and marketable skills such as ICT, agriculture, tailoring, and renewable energy technologies. Also the state government should implement a youth-targeted microfinance scheme in partnership with local cooperatives and financial institutions, offering accessible, low-interest loans and financial literacy training to economically empower young people in the State. By providing start-up capital and business management skills, this initiative enables youths to launch and sustain small-scale enterprises, thereby creating employment for themselves and potentially for others, which directly contributes to reducing unemployment in the state.