Government Support for Youth Entrepreneurial Activities in Nigeria

Abstract

Government Entrepreneurship Support Programmes (GESPs) are the establishment of importance to entrepreneurs by the government to facilitate the establishment of new ventures, encourage the rate of survival, and promote their growth. This paper sought to examine the effect of government entrepreneurship support programmes on the entrepreneurial activity of young people who intend to become entrepreneurs in both micro and small enterprises(MSMEs) in Nigeria. The research design was a survey using stratified random sampling method.   Data for the study were collected through self-administered copies of the questionnaire to 150 respondents spread across major cities in Kwara State, Nigeria.  This study employed Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) SMART 3 for data analysis. Findings revealed that institutional support programmes. direct support to nascent entrepreneurs as well as university entrepreneurial programmes significantly supported the development of entrepreneurial activity while entrepreneurial ecosystem, and government policies programmes did not. The study concluded that these identified variables of government entrepreneurship support if managed properly are capable of leading to new venture creation where participants and /or beneficiaries can engage in one entrepreneurial activity or the other.  The study recommended that government ministries departments and agencies(MDAs) in charge of boosting small business enterprises re-evaluate the entrepreneurial ecosystems in place and focus more attention by investing in real enterprise development programmes that have long–term effects through increased investment in entrepreneurial infrastructure, to meet the needs of the growing number of young nascent entrepreneurs.