Abstract
South-eastern Nigeria is beset by a challenging socio-economic climate and a grave dearth of social
entrepreneurship knowledge among its youths. The region's rising youth unemployment rate has
exacerbated crime, drug abuse, kidnapping, suicide, and urban migration. Hence, small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) serve as catalysts for sustained economic development; this concern
exposes south-eastern Nigeria to an economic vulnerability. A significant body of literature exists
on entrepreneurship in general; however, the congruence between social entrepreneurship and the
Igbo apprenticeship system in southeast Nigeria is comparatively understudied in comparison to
the literature devoted to Western nations.
Training in social entrepreneurship and utilising the Igbo apprenticeship system in the agriculture
industry across the five south-eastern states of Nigeria has the potential to curb youth
unemployment. This study aimed to investigate how young individuals in south-eastern Nigeria
may develop social entrepreneurial skills for self-employment in the agricultural sector.
Qualitative approaches were employed to conduct participant semi-structured interviews and focus
groups. The purposeful sample consisted of 50 participants, including ten unemployed youths, ten
apprentices, ten self-employed youths, and ten entrepreneurs with experience in self-employment
across various industries and entrepreneurial skills. One interview had five lawmakers and five
focus group participants.
Thematic analysis was employed to evaluate the data and identify themes. The key themes
analysed were mentoring, vocational training, mentor-mentee relationships, the Igbo
apprenticeship system, venture capital, teamwork, self-employment, and financial independence.
The study indicated that youths who participated in Igbo apprenticeship, mentoring, and vocational
training programmes, along with venture capital, were more successful entrepreneurs. It highlights
the importance of promoting social entrepreneurship, Igbo apprenticeship system and emphasises
the role of non-governmental organisations in empowering young agripreneurs to drive social
transformation. This research highlights specific traits, contributing to the knowledge of
contemporary entrepreneurship by elucidating the distinct social, cultural, and entrepreneurial
environment in south-eastern Nigeria.