Promoting youth entrepreneurship in Lagos, Nigeria - SNHU ...

Youth are not well informed, motivated and educated on youth entrepreneurship. Theproject focused on youth who were benefiting from government owned vocational skills programand some who were not into non -vocational but have their own small businesses. The reason issimple. Youth entrepreneurship and vocational education programs are built on validated modelsderived from learning theory and based on the premise that education can be used as anintervention tool to influence youth attitudes toward entrepreneurship as a career option 3 .Therefore, to be effective in preparing youth for a changing society, vocational education andentrepreneurship education must be complementary.This theory of change of this project is based on the concept that entrepreneurshipeducation, business advisory and awareness services helped youth to improve on their businesspractices thereby leading to improved and sustainable microenterprises.And the efficientfinancial services will provide the much needed access to resources that would help the pooryouth gradually lead them out of poverty.This project envisions young people as part of the solution rather than part of the problemand a major force to bring positive change in the communities. The result of this projectdemonstrated that once the socially-excluded, marginalized, under-served and half-educatedyoung people are organized and provided structured opportunities to set up business enterprises,they can be changed to champions in their personal and community lives.In order to meet the project goals, the theory of change necessitates that youth demonstrate theircapacity for positive effectiveness within society. The project assisted youth through training,coaching, business advisory services and helping them to establish rotatary savings group(ROSCA) which helps in building social capital. The result of this intervention includes;3 Rasheed, H.S. (2000). The effects of entrepreneurial training and venture creation on youth entrepreneurial attitudesand academic performance. University of South Florida, FL: College of Business Administration75