Factors Influencing Youth Participation in Bamboo Value Chain Enterprises in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Bamboo has significant potential in sectors like construction, furniture-making, crafts, and sustainable energy. This study examined youth engagement in Anambra State, Nigeria, focusing on 18 – 35 years olds. A multi-stage sampling approach selected 80 respondents from four communities across two agricultural zones. Data collection utilised structured questionnaires. Analysis employed a binary probit regression model considering factors like gender, education, perceptions and age. The mean age of re spondents is 34.0 ± 2.5 years. Results show that youth perceive the bamboo businesses as labour-intensive (mean = 3.22 ± 0.16) and associated with older individuals (mean = 3.17 ± 0.15). Major barriers to participation include lack of technical skills (mean = 3.17± 0.15) and financial support (mean = 3.20 ± 0.15). The results also show that the educational attainment of participants shows that 70% have at least primary education, with 10% having primary education, 70% having secondary education, and 20% having tertiary education. However, the absence of youth participation in bamboo processing subsector within the Anambra study area suggests a significant gap in value addition. This study therefore recommends targeted interventions to address barriers hindering youth participation in bamboo processing, towards promoting value addition and fostering economic growth in the study area.