An Exploratory Study of Igbo Business Mentoring (Nwa Boy) for Establishing Small-Scale Enterprise: Panacea to Youth Unemployment in South-East Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria.

Abstract

In both developed and developing societies, entrepreneurship is not only considered panacea to youth unemployment; it is regarded a vital strategy of economic growth and national development. In a developing society like Nigeria, studies have shown its importance in creating employment opportunities for the youth but such studies neglected the usefulness of Igbo business mentoring. Also, other studies have shown different strategies for starting enterprenurship but it has been observed that such studies ignored the Igbo business mentoring (nwa boy) in-spite of its reputation for raising entrepreneurs among youth in the South-East Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria. Given this, the present study, used data from secondary source to: (i) find out factors which predispose youth to engage in Igbo business mentoring (nwa boy); (ii) ascertain the differences between Igbo business mentoring (nwa boy) and other forms of apprenticeship; and (iii) investigate the contributions of the Igbo business mentoring (nwa boy) to small-scale enterprise, job creation and national development. Based on facts in the literature review, the study argued that Igbo business mentoring (nwa boy) has been promoting self-employment drive among youth in the region. It also maintained that it has been contributing to entrepreneurial activities in the zone and across Nigeria. Finally, the study averred that the scheme could become a veritable stratagem for addressing the problem of unemployment among youth if the government, at all level, could lend its support to it. With government support for the scheme, youth in other Geo-Political Zones of the country could engage in it so as to be self-employed and be free from the scourge of unemployment.

Economic assessment of the Igbo entrepreneurship model for entrepreneurial development in Nigeria: evidence from clusters in Anambra state

“…Igwe et al (2018b) employed key informants interview of 50 participants across the five Igbo states and found, among other things, that the scheme equips and nurtures young people with fundamental business skills as well as providing them with capital for start-ups. Omonijo et al (2018) concludes that the apprenticeship system of Igbos, over time, has been stimulating self-employment and driving entrepreneurial activities. The study further stated that the scheme could serve as a useable tool to tackle the unemployment menace in Nigeria.…”

“…For instance, the anthropological entrepreneurship theory, which is traced to the works of North (1990) and Baskerville (2003), focuses on the decisive role of cultural contexts in influencing successful entrepreneurial activities. The theory predicts that for an individual to commence a successful business, the social norms and cultural settings should be considered (Omonijo et al, 2018). This theory shares key sights that explain how Igbo entrepreneurs generally acclimatise with the socio-cultural values of their host community for harmonious interaction and business transactions.…”

“…This view is contrary to the submission of the Austrian or Schumpeterian school of thought which holds that entrepreneurs change although consequent upon evolving business prospects that alter entrepreneurial decisions (Drucker, 1985). Thus, as entrepreneurs explore adjustments in business decisions, they react to it by exploiting the opportunity it offers (Omonijo et al, 2018). Proponents of this theory also argue that several opportunities could be explored through environments, friends and other plausible avenues.…”