ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND DIGITAL SKILLS AS CORRELATES OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT IN AWKAMETROPOLIS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between entrepreneurship and digital skills on youth empowerment in Awka
South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The study was guided by two research questions and two
hypotheses. This study adopted correlational research design. The population of the study are 88,833 youths
according to the 2006National Population Census. Taro Yamane’s formula was used to determine a sample size of
398. The study adopted three structured questionnaires for data collection. The questionnaires were titled:
Entrepreneurship Questionnaire (EQ), Digital Skills Questionnaire (DSQ) and Youth Empowerment Questionnaire
(YEQ). The questionnaires were subjected to trial tests to determine the internal consistency. The instruments EQ,
DSQ and YEQ had reliability coefficients of 0.82, 0.85 and 0.84 which indicated that the instruments were reliable for
the study. Direct face-to-face method was used for data collection. After the administration of 398 copies of the
questionnaire, 382 correctly filled copies of the questionnaire were retrieved which indicated 95.98% return rate.
Pearson Product Moment Coefficient was used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses at 0.05 level
of significance. In testing the hypotheses, when the p-value is 0.05 and below, the null hypothesis was rejected while
the alternative hypothesis is accepted. On the other hand, when p-value is above 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted
while the alternative hypothesis is rejected. The study found that there is a very high positive significant relationship
between both entrepreneurship and digital skills with youth employment in Awka South Local Government Area of
Anambra State. As a result, empowering youths through entrepreneurial and digital skill development is essential for
reducing unemployment and curbing social vices, thereby promoting inclusive socio-economic growth in the region.
The study recommended that government and stakeholders should intensify efforts in funding and supporting
entrepreneurship training programs targeted at equipping youths in Awka South with practical business skills to foster
job creation and innovation. Digital infrastructure should be improved and made more accessible to enable effective
digital skill acquisition, especially in rural and semi-urban areas of Awka South Local Government Area.