YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AN ASSESSMENT OF THE N-POWER PROGRAMME IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA (2016 – 2022)

Abstract

This paper critically analyzes how youth empowerment programme has influenced human resource development in Osun State, Nigeria. The study is placed in the context of the Human Capital Theory and adopts a qualitative descriptive design using document analysis and structured interviews to question the impact of the N-Power on skill development, entrepreneurial intentions, and job employability among young people in Nigeria. The results obtained with the aid of secondary data indicate that the programme has brought about the development of technical and vocational skills, however, structural and institutional gaps are factors limiting its effectiveness and sustainability. It is worth noting that lack of standardised training curriculum, lack of support after the programmes, and lack of integration into the overall labour market have curtailed the transformative potential of the intervention. Even though the goals of the NPower are to promote self-sufficiency and economic efficiency, the statistics indicate that many beneficiaries experienced only short-term relief without a way to transition to permanent jobs or ventures. Another finding of the study is a lack of coordination between policy intent and implementation, and the necessity to reform the system and improve policy coordination. Based on theoretical analysis, the study posits that empowerment should be viewed not as simple accomplishment of skills, but also as a process of making the atmosphere conducive within which the youth can realise their potentials in a meaningful manner. The paper concludes that social investment programmes such as the N-Power shoud move beyond short-term initiatives and become institutionally entrenched strategies linked to long-term economic planning. Some of the policy recommendations are standardised training, integration of the private sector, post-exit support schemes and decentralised governance of the programme.