YOUTH DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN NIGERIA (TEN YEARS ANALYSIS 2014 – 2023)

Abstract

Youth digital entrepreneurs in Nigeria encounter considerable barriers in accessing adequate training, funding, mentorship, and other essential resources necessary to launch and grow successful digital businesses. Furthermore, Nigeria's digital infrastructure, including internet penetration and reliable electricity, is often inadequate, making it difficult for young digital entrepreneurs to operate effectively. The study examined the impact of youth digital literacy on skill development and analyzed the relationship between youth digital innovation and Job creation. The study employed a quantitative research design, using secondary data from the World Bank Data Bank over a 10-year period (2014 – 2023). The data was analyzed using linear regression, a statistical technique used to model the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. The linear regression model was estimated using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. From the analysis, it was concluded that Digital Literacy has a positive relationship with skill development in Nigeria, and Digital Innovation leads to increased Job Creation. Thus, it was concluded that youth digital innovation has a significant positive relationship with Job creation in Nigeria. The study recommends that the government should invest more in digital literacy to guaranty high skill development among the youths to facilitate higher employability rate of the youths, all necessary stakeholders, collaboration must be galvanized from both national and internation arena to facilitate digital skill development, and there must be collaboration among educational institutions, the industry, investors, and government to promote digital/ICT related research and innovations towards creating jobs and wealth.