Raising Employability Bar and Building Entrepreneurial Capacity in Youth: A Case Study of National Social Investment Programme in Nigeria

Nigeria is no doubt currently among the countries embattled with a high rate of unemployment. Due to the present economic challenges, which have lasted over a decade. To examine the impact level of the social investment programme on the beneficiaries, qualitative research was carried out and the instrument was structured on complete open-ended, by one-one interview and online platforms (Whatsapp and Facebook groups). N-teach (150,000 beneficiaries), N-health (20,000 beneficiaries) and N-agro beneficiaries (30,000 beneficiaries) of batch A 2016 constituted the population, with a calculated sample size of 399. The sustainability level of N-power programme was also ascertained as the difference
between the average initial sample size and adjustable sample sizes were roughly similar while testing at margin error of 5, 10, 15 and 20% using 95% confidence level. The findings of the study reveal that micro-businesses such as fishery, piggery, provision store, computer business centres and among others have been established with the aid of the monthly stipend and entrepreneurial skills have been acquired through the devices given and daily exposure at work. It however, recommended that the programme should be adopted by every regime at both the state and national level. The batch A beneficiaries who are likely at the exit stage, should either be giving seed capital and the remaining, permanent job. Also, the government should as a matter of sporadic reduction in social vices and the creation of more businesses should expand the scope of the programme.
Keywords: Government Initiative, N-power, Employability Bar, Yarame’s Formular, Sample Size