Assessing the Impact of European Union Digital Skills Programmes on Youth Entrepreneurship in South-East Nigeria

This study assesses the impact of EU-funded digital skills training programmes on youth entrepreneurship outcomes in South-East Nigeria, with case studies drawn from technology and digital economy programmes implemented in Enugu, Anambra, and Imo States between 2019 and 2024. Digital skills development has emerged as a priority area in EU-Africa cooperation, and South-East Nigeria's entrepreneurial culture and growing technology ecosystem make it a particularly relevant context for examining digital programme impacts. This analytical study employs a longitudinal tracer methodology, tracking the entrepreneurship trajectories of 200 digital skills programme graduates over 18 months using structured questionnaires and periodic in-depth interviews. The study measures outcomes including enterprise formation rates, revenue generation, digital platform adoption, and employment creation. Econometric analysis controls for baseline characteristics including prior educational attainment, gender, access to startup capital, and programme modality. Secondary analysis of EU programme monitoring data, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) digital economy reports, and academic literature on digital entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa provides contextual framing. Findings are expected to fill an empirical literature gap on the effectiveness of EU digital skills investments in stimulating youth entrepreneurship in South-East Nigeria's economic environment. Keywords: EU digital skills, youth entrepreneurship, South-East Nigeria, digital economy, programme impact assessment.