Youth Capacity Building in Enugu State: The Role of Entrepreneurship Development

This study undertook an empirical view towards analyzing the role youth capacity building can play in entrepreneurship development. This study took a descriptive approach in its design and covered a sample of 519 rural entrepreneurs drawn from selected rural communities across the three geo-political zones of Enugu state using purposive sampling technique. Data was gathered using a five point likert scale questionnaire and was analyzed with chi-square test using the 23.0 versions of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The data analysis was based on the 413 questionnaires that were validly filled and returned by the respondents. The study noted that capacity building is not a choice; it is a fundamental route to youth entrepreneurship development. Hence, giving hand-outs or even equipment without needful entrepreneurial knowledge is no longer fit to pass as youth capacity building. It was therefore concluded that for sustainable entrepreneurship development especially among the youths in Enugu state, there is need for well structured and functional capacity building programmes. The paper recommends that; to ensure consistency and relevance of capacity building in the act of entrepreneurship development, states must institutionalize capacity building, Governments should invest in and leverage on existing educational institutions to advance and reduce the cost of entrepreneurship development oriented capacity building and that there is need to invest massively on innovation biased capacity building programmes.