DESIGNING INTEGRATED POLICY INTERVENTIONS FOR YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA: ADDRESSING KEY BARRIERS, STRENGTHENING ECOSYSTEMS, AND ESTABLISHING STANDARDIZED IMPACT METRICS

Abstract

Youth entrepreneurship remains a vital strategy for addressing Africa's persistent youth unemployment and fostering economic diversification, yet success rates of youth-led ventures continue to lag due to systemic barriers and fragmented interventions. This study develops a comprehensive success model for youth entrepreneurship in Africa, using Nigeria as a case study. Employing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the research integrates quantitative surveys (N = 595 youth entrepreneurs aged 21–35 with 0–5 years' experience) across five diverse locations (Lagos, Onitsha, Rivers State, Abuja, and Kano) with qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Data collection occurred between January and March 2025, grounded in Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior and Isenberg's Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Framework. Quantitative analysis utilized descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-tests, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in SPSS/AMOS, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Findings reveal that financial exclusion and infrastructure deficits constitute foundational barriers, with demographic disparities (gender, location, education) amplifying challenges. Hybrid education-apprenticeship models significantly outperform single-pathway approaches, enhancing venture survival by 34% and self-efficacy. Integrated policy interventions addressing finance, markets, skills, and support simultaneously yield substantial improvements in survival rates, profitability, employment creation, and growth (SEM β > 0.45, p < 0.001). Voluntary formalization succeeds through incentive-driven frameworks, and standardized multidimensional metrics (survival, revenue growth, innovation capability, resilience) markedly enhance research consistency, comparability, and analytical depth (paired t-tests, p < 0.001). The study concludes that sustainable youth entrepreneurship requires ecosystem synergy, prioritizing foundational enablers before higher-level interventions. Recommendations include establishing unified national frameworks for integrated support, institutionalizing hybrid curricula, developing youth-centric finance products, and adopting standardized metrics for evidence-based evaluation to advance inclusive innovation and economic impact across Africa.