Sustainability of the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES): A Case Study of Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute

Abstract

The study examined the sustainability of youth empowerment scheme using ARMTI as a case study. A three-stage sampling technique was adopted in the selection of 112 respondents for the study using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse data. The result of the findings show that the mean age of the respondents was 34.5. The study revealed more male (63.4%) participation in the programme, with majority (72.3%) being single. Major benefit derived by respondents were skill acquisition, (98.2%), positive change in attitude towards agriculture (94.6%), and access to capital (90.2%). Inadequate fund or capital support by the government, poor post-empowerment support by the government, and uncertainty over the political environment to support continuity were the major constraints to sustainability of the scheme. There was significant relationship between constraints (r = 0.462*) and perceived sustainability of the youth empowerment scheme. The study concluded that youth empowerment scheme was adjudged sustainable. Government, development experts and donor agencies must ensure that sustainability of the programme is taken into cognizance at every level of the programme and efforts must be put into incorporation of monitoring and evaluation from the beginning so as to prevent wastage of resources.