Electrical and Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship as a Pathway to Youth Self-Reliance and Cybercrime Reduction in Rivers State
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Abstract
This study investigates electrical and renewable energy entrepreneurship as a pathway to youth self-reliance and a deterrent to cybercrime in Rivers State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study population consists of 2,300 Rivers State youths (age 16- 35), drawn from the twenty-three (23) Local Government Areas of Rivers State. Stratified random sampling technique was employed to ensure fair representation due to the large size of youths in Rivers State. The instrument used for data collection was a 15-item structured questionnaire validated by three experts for the purpose of obtaining information from the respondents. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha reliability method to obtain the reliability index of .90. Three objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. Data generated from the study was assembled and analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions, while hypotheses were tested with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at .05 level of significance. Findings revealed that electrical and renewable energy entrepreneurship promotes self-reliance, empowerment, independence, sufficiency and ethical reorientation among youths in Rivers State as scaling up skill acquisition programs, enhances access to entrepreneurial funding, and integrating digital literacy with renewable energy training, addresses both unemployment and cybercrime simultaneously. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for TVET expansion, curriculum linkage to industry, and integration of digital-ethics modules and renewable energy into vocational programs.
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