Resolving Youth Marginalization and Unemployment Gap in Nigeria: The Role of Capacity Building

Abstract

corroborate the alarming rate of youth unemployment which stems from their marginalization. It is, however, crucial to note that there has been a decline in the rate of youth unemployment, noting that an increase in the global youth population from 1 billion to 1.3 billion between 1999 and 2019 did not lead to an increase Abstract: To address the existential issues of youth marginalization and unemployment, various approaches have been employed by governments, private institutions, non-governmental organizations, and international bodies in which capacity building and incentivization were common grounds employed by these institutions. From a global perspective, the number of youths not in education, employment, and training (NEET) has commendably decreased despite the rise in the global population. This success story is, however, a facade when the world is holistically inspected. Some countries' proportion of youth unemployment has been on the rise for years with no effective strategies to curb their travesty Nigeria is a notable example which is the focus of this study. This research write-up analyzes the current situation of Nigeria in the aspect of youth marginalization and unemployment. A comparative analysis was also elucidated to grasp the position of Nigeria in the world trajectories on youth marginalization and unemployment. This paper corroborates its expositions through a study using google forms to investigate the opinions of concerned groups of youths in Nigeria. Over 90 percent of respondents were students, of which about 50% do not believe the current educational curriculum in Nigeria can avail them of good jobs upon graduation. The groups also asserted that capacity-building training plays a major role in their personal development and career progresses. However, this paper argues that the pervasive capacity-building training and incentivization cannot be fully effective if associated hindrances such as the lack of enabling environment, political instability, and cultural disintegration are not properly addressed. Thus, this paper emphasizes the need for the commensurate provision of enabling environments by Governments and capacity builders vis-à-vis youth inclusiveness and political consistency in Nigeria