INDUSTRIALISATION POLICY AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA (2015–2023)
Keywords:
Industrialisation, Unemployment, Employment Generation, Dual Sector Model, Akwa Ibom StateAbstract
This paper examined the link between the state’s industrialisation policy and unemployment in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, between 2015 and 2023, a period of intensive state-driven industrialisation drive in Nigeria. This study employed a descriptive survey research design. The entire population of the Akwa Ibom State was targeted. Using the standard sample size formula for large populations, the sample size of 385 respondents was determined. The proportionate stratified sampling technique was employed, allocating the sample size across the 31 local government areas of the state, proportionate to the size of the population. The data collection instrument, comprising 20 items, was a questionnaire using a 4-point Likert scale. Key Informant Interviews were used as the supplementary data collection tool. The content validity of the questionnaire was established, while the reliability was established using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient, which was found to be 0.82. The data analysis employed the use of tables and simple percentages. The findings showed that although the number of industrial establishments had been rising in the state, their employment-generating potential had been seriously impeded by various factors, which included inadequate infrastructure, capital-intensive production patterns, a large skills gap between the labour force and industries, and inadequate access to finance for small and medium-scale industries. These factors had impeded the labour absorption mechanism of the Lewis Dual Sector Model of Industrialisation and Development, which was supposed to explain the link between industrialisation and employment creation in Nigeria. It recommended the development of infrastructure, promotion of labour-intensive industries, skills development of the labour force, and effective implementation of state policies and programmes to improve the employment-generating potential of the state’s industrialisation drive.
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