Appraisal of Media and Youth Entrepreneurship in Nigeria
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83 APPRAISAL OF MEDIA AND YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA Chinwe Okpoko Department of Mass Communication University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Anthony Chinedu Ekwueme Department of Mass Communication University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Abstract All over the world, particularly in a developing country like Nigeria, millions of youth daily roam the streets in desperate search of non-existing jobs. Given the high level of unemployment in Nigeria and the associated social vices, the need to open avenues through which youths can be gainfully employed and in addition create wealth becomes very imperative. One of these avenues is media entrepreneurship. The media are known to have diverse dimensions which provide opportunities for creative-minded youths to become significant job creators and income multipliers. Some of these opportunities can therefore be explored and exploited by our youths. Media entrepreneurship is used here to refer to any innovative effort to create wealth or job by exploiting the intrinsic relationship between the media, business and society. This exploratory study used available literature and observation to address the subject matter and makes recommendations. Key words: Entrepreneurship, Media entrepreneurship and youth Introduction The high level of global unemployment has, for some time now, been a major concern for governments across the world. Here and there, all over the world particularly in developing countries, millions of youths armed with certificates roam the streets desperately searching for non-existing jobs. According to Haftendorn and Salzano (2003, p.iii), “66 million young people are unemployed and an even higher number are underemployed…” This state of affairs and the attendant negative social consequences portend bleak future for youths in many developing countries if not properly addressed. Thus, the desire to address the problem of youth unemployment has become a major concern for political leaders and policy-makers, necessitating the search for viable and workable solutions in different countries. The seriousness with which world leaders view this worrisome problem can be gleaned from the fact that “helping to reduce youth unemployment by half by 2015 is one of the goals that Heads of State of all member countries of the United Nations adopted in the Millennium Declaration,” (Haftendorn and Salzano, 2003, p.iii). International Labour Organization (ILO) has also been exploring ways to increase youth employment so as to end the vicious cycle of poverty and social exclusion around the globe. Consequent upon this, self-employment through entrepreneurship has emerged as a viable alternative source of employment to millions of unemployed graduates worldwide since the available labour markets do not have the capacity to absorb the graduates that are produced annually in most countries of the world. Vassiliou (2013) posits that entrepreneurship and self-employment provide the pathways for young people to emerge from unemployment. A similar view was canvassed by Ellis, William and Pompa, (2012, p.1) when they stated that, “helping young people to earn a living through entrepreneurship can make a crucial contribution to poverty reduction”. Hence, the current wave of Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015 84 entrepreneurship, self-empowerment and business ownership in these parts are the results of the efforts to address this problem. In Nigeria, the desire to create viable opportunities has become imperative amongst media practitioners and educators considering the teeming population of mass communication graduates that are churned out annually by our various universities and polytechnics. Given the paucity of employment opportunities, it becomes necessary to produce a crop of youths who would not only be self-employed and innovators of ideas but also employers themselves. Media entrepreneurship provides one such avenue. This paper, basically advocacy in nature, uses exploratory approach and literature review to address the subject matter. It critically examines media entrepreneurship and how it can be harnessed and used effectively for youth employment and development in Nigeria. Hoag (2005) agrees that, “entrepreneurship is a major component of the media industry and a promising area for scholarly study [and capacity building].” It is hoped that this work will provide a launching pad for media entrepreneurship supply and pragmatic media curriculum in Nigeria. Theoretical Framework This paper is anchored on the diffusion of innovations theory. This theory began with works of Katz et al 1963 but was popularized by Everrett Rogers. The theory tries to explain how and the process through which a new idea or information spreads and gains acceptance in the society over time through different channels and structures in that society. Scholars, (Medlin, 2001; Parisot, 1995) agree that Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory is the most appropriate for investigating the adoption of technology in higher education and educational environments. Rogers and Shoemaker (1973) have sharpened the theory with four-stage model of information, persuasion, decision adoption and confirmation, (McQuail, 2011 p. 490). Rogers (2003 p.5) defines diffusion as, “the process in which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among members of a social system.” He further defines adoption as, “a decision of ‘full use of an innovation as the best course of action available’ and rejection is a decision ‘not to adopt an innovation, (p.177). In the media industry, there exist numerous opportunities that can be explored and exploited to create employment for our youths. Furthermore, the media create avenues through which entrepreneurial activities are projected and subsequently exploited by entrepreneurial minds to achieve success. What is needed therefore, is the decision to adopt these opportunities innovatively and exploit them for maximum benefits. Literature Review i. Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship: An entrepreneur is one whose attributes transcend that of the ordinary businessman. He is innovative, determined, patient, tolerant, has foresight, initiative, dreams and motives. His driving force is the desire to surmount challenges as he cannot afford to fail. The Austrian-American economist, Joseph A. Schumpeter cited in Encarta Dictionary described the entrepreneur as, “an innovator, the person who develops a new product, a new market, or a new means of production.” Besides, the entrepreneur is the risk-bearer, the organizer, manager, financier and the sole-owner of his business. Indeed, our youth can only become self-employed and innovators of ideas if their capacity to overcome the current and emerging challenges are developed; if we inculcate entrepreneurial skills in Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015 85 them; and if we design and /or re-design our programmes to make them meet the demands and challenges of today. According to Hoag and Seo (2005), entrepreneurship is the main reason for innovation and growth. International Labour Organization in Ellis and Williams, (2011, p.9) defines entrepreneurship as “a way of thinking, reasoning and acting ... It is much more than starting a new business. It is the process whereby individuals become aware of self-employment career options, develop ideas, take and manage risks, learn the process and take the initiative in developing and owning a business” Shane and Venkataraman (2000) citing Hang and Weezel, (2010 p.2), state that “entrepreneurship is concerned with the discovery and exploitation of profitable opportunities.” Mbanefo (1986, p.31) adds that, “entrepreneurship is the art of generally perceiving a business opportunity in an idea, and transforming the idea into a viable and profitable business. This entails combining available and scarce resources in totally new ways to achieve new or interesting results.” Entrepreneurship, according to Vassiliou (2013) depends on: Knowledge, including the ability to identify opportunities for personal, professional and/or business activities; Skills, in proactive project management (planning, organization, leading and delegating, analysis, communication, evaluation and recording), representation and negotiation, and working as an individual and in teams; Attitude, characterized by initiative, independence and innovation in personal and social life, as much as at work, and motivation and determination to meet objectives (Vassiliou, 2013, p.6). Entrepreneurship encompasses personal attitudes as well as the readiness and courage to act in diverse social, cultural and economic contexts, including home, school, leisure and work place. Indeed, an entrepreneur is one that is generally innovative and has the ability to identify opportunities. He is motivated by success, takes calculable risks, tolerates uncertainties and readily cooperates with others (Haftendorn and Salzano, 2003, p.1). Other scholars (Bull and Willard, 1993; Wennekers and Thurik, 1999) share the above view. For instance, Wennekers and Thurik (1999) cited in Hoag and Seo (2005) view the entrepreneur as “an innovator, that individual who invents and then disseminates a ‘new combination’ of inputs and processes to create new products and services, improve efficiencies, reduce costs or create new markets. Her motivation for identifying and exploiting the opportunity is profit. These innovations are superior to existing market offerings. They further stated that this explains why the entrepreneur is seen as ‘the principal