Impact of Youth Participation in Waste Management on Employment Generation in Kano State, Nigeria

Youth unemployment remains a major socio-economic challenge in Nigeria despite the increasing participation of youths in waste-to-wealth and recycling activities. In Kano State, waste collection, recycling, and recovery activities provide informal income opportunities; however, weak institutional support and limited integration into the formal labour market have constrained their potential to generate sustainable employment. This study examined the effect of youth participation in waste management on employment generation in Kano State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted. The study population comprised 10,000 youths engaged in waste management activities across Kano Central, Kano North, and Kano South senatorial zones. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to selected respondents, while descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The findings revealed that waste-to-wealth activities have a positive and significant effect on self-employment opportunities among youths in Kano State, while recycling activities have a positive and significant effect on job creation, leading to the rejection of both null hypotheses. The study concludes that youth participation in waste management significantly enhances employment generation through improved self-employment opportunities and job creation. The study recommends that the Kano State Government and relevant stakeholders strengthen waste-to-wealth programmes through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship training, and financial support, while government and private sector organizations increase investment in recycling infrastructure and youth-led recycling enterprises to promote sustainable employment generation.

Keywords: Youth participation, waste management, recycling activities, job creation and youth empowerment.