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ABSTRACT: The study examined the profitability of enterprises among youth in entrepreneurial development in south-west, Nigeria (Ekiti, Ondo, and Osun States). It specifically examined the demographic characteristics of the youth and the profitability of the ten selected enterprises the youth were engaged in. A multistage sampling procedure was employed in selecting 1,800 respondents and data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and budgeting analysis. Results revealed that the youth were between 30 to 40 years old, well-educated with over 70% of youth sampled in each enterprise having completed secondary school and above. The average household size was between four and five members. They were well experienced in their chosen enterprises with average years of experience above nine years. The enterprises were very profitable and also the capital requirements to start most of the enterprises were not much. It is recommended that findings from this study should be disseminated to the appropriate organs of the three tiers of governments saddled with the responsibility of planning for youth empowerment and employment and the Nigerian Universities for incorporation into their entrepreneurship courses curricula. They should key into the use of the opportunity of these available entrepreneurial opportunities to address the problem of youth unemployment and empowerment in Nigeria by providing training programmes, funds and conducive business environments for this category of Nigerians to eke out a living for themselves in the absence of government white-collar jobs.

Keywords: Empowerment, Enterprises Entrepreneur, Demographic characteristics, Profitability

JoST. 2021. 11(1): 89-103
Accepted for Publication, April 30, 2021