EVALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study evaluated the Agricultural Empowerment Programme of the National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria – War Against Poverty (WAP) Programme. It ascertained the socioeconomic characteristics of the programme beneficiaries; respondents‘ predominant value orientations; respondents‘ perception of the programmes implementation; the status of respondents‘ agricultural enterprise; assessed the effect of post training support services and institutional aid accessed by respondents for their agricultural enterprises; identified the respondents constraints to achieving the goal of the programme; and determined respondents‘ success rate in line with programme goals. A total of two hundred and eighty ex-corps members who benefited from the WAP programme across the six (6) geo-political zones of Nigeria from 2010-2015 participated in this study by random selection. This accounted for about 10% of the WAP loan beneficiaries for the period under consideration. Quantitative and qualitative data on socio-economic characteristics, value orientations and perception of the programme implementation was collected from the respondents through online survey, focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informants interviews (KII). Descriptive statistics like frequencies, means and percentages were used to present data obtained in tables and charts, while, inferential statistics: Chi-Square, t-test and Spearman Rho Correlation were used for data analysis. Findings from the study showed that the mean age of the respondents was 31years, 56.8% were single, male (76.4%), Christians (69.2%), and members of farmers groups (32%). The value orientations predominantly characterizing the respondents were ascertained to be: rational and goal oriented ( ̅=3.9); more group than individually oriented ( ̅=3.9); oriented towards harmony with the world around ( ̅=3.9); oriented towards living life in the present ( ̅=3.7) and seeing mostly good in people ( ̅=3.5). Respondents‘ perception of the programme was poor (63.6%). Only 36% of agro-enterprises set up by participants from the loan disbursed were still operational during the study, while only 41% of respondents had fully repaid the loan received. Profitability of the enterprise and training received before loan disbursement were the major factors that influenced respondent‘s choice of agro-enterprise. Harsh economic conditions and inflation in the country were determined to be the most severe constraints to the programme. Findings show the programme to have a low (41%) success rate. It was recommended that youth selected for empowerment programmes be value profiled to ascertain their capacity for success and that youth be involved in the process of policy from formulation to implementation. The study concluded that the War Against Poverty Programme of the National Youth Service Corps that ran between 2009 to 2015 had an overall low success rate. It was recommended that policy administrators should ensure a framework for enhanced periodic monitoring of programmes to ensure that policy goals are achieved and future evaluation of such programmes can be easily accomplished.