Assessing the Impact of the YouWiN Programme on Youth Business Development in North West Nigeria

This study assesses the impact of the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria programme on the business development outcomes of youth beneficiaries in North West Nigeria, examining whether the programme achieved its objectives of creating viable enterprises and sustainable employment among grant recipients. The YouWiN programme, one of Nigeria's most ambitious government-funded youth entrepreneurship initiatives, provided business plan competition winners with cash grants and business development support, and its outcomes in the North West zone, where entrepreneurial development challenges are particularly acute, require evaluation. The study employs a retrospective comparative design, administering a structured questionnaire to 100 YouWiN beneficiaries and 100 matched non-beneficiaries in Kano, Sokoto, and Zamfara States. Business survival rate, employment created, and revenue growth are used as outcome variables, measured against the period from grant receipt to the date of data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and independent samples t-tests. Findings indicate that 64 percent of surveyed YouWiN grant businesses are still operational, compared to 47 percent of comparable non-recipient ventures, suggesting a meaningful survival advantage for the programme's grant and training support. Employment creation is modest, averaging 3.2 additional jobs per surviving business. Revenue growth outcomes are highly variable, with a small group of high-growth beneficiaries accounting for a disproportionate share of the programme's aggregate job creation. Recommendations include improved post-grant mentorship and market linkage support as conditions for sustaining the programme's developmental impact. Keywords: YouWiN, youth entrepreneurship, government grant, business development, North West Nigeria.