ECONOMICS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACTIVITIES OF MUSLIM YOUTH CORPS IN KANO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The majority of Nigerians live on less than $1.90 per day, which clearly reflects Nigeria’s high level of poverty. Sadly, the younger generation is being severely affected by this adverse situation. With the population of youth being approximately sixty-eight million, the country could reduce the level of poverty by further promoting youth engagement in entrepreneurship. The promotion of entrepreneurship could make a positive impact and encourage economic growth and development. This white paper is an attempt to investigate the economics of entrepreneurial activities of Muslim youth corps members in Kano state. Its focuses on -Identify various entrepreneurial activities by the Youth Corps members, Examine the factors determining their participation in entrepreneurship activities, and Suggest solutions to identified constraints of entrepreneurial activities. A multistage sampling technique was used to select sixty respondents among corps members and primary data was collected with structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that more than 80% of the respondents were between 20 and 30 years of age. The majority of the respondents were male and 90% were non-native, while 40% engaged in entrepreneurship. The inferential statistics showed that age, level of parents’ education, stipends received and membership of an association, determined participation in entrepreneurial activity. The study therefore recommends raising awareness on the importance of skill acquisition and implementation for income generation among the youth, as well as enactment and implementation of appropriate governmental policies to boost entrepreneurship of economic growth.