ASSESSMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS ON HOUSEHOLDS’ WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR SURVIVAL AMIDST ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IN EKET LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF AKWAIBOM STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed entrepreneurial skills on households’ waste management for survival amidst economic hardship in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa IbomState. Three specific purposes, research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a survey design. The population of the study comprised of approximately 220,600 household members who were adults of 18 years and above in 63 villages in Eket from which the sample size of 384 respondents was determined using Research Advisor Sample Table (2006) and selected using simple random sampling technique. The questionnaire was validated by three experts from University of Uyo, Uyo.

The consistency of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha Statistical Tool, with reliability coefficient of 0.93. 346 copies of questionnaire were retrieved on a spot giving the retrieval rate 90.1%. Data collected was analysed using mean and one sample t-test statistics. Findings showed that most households possess entrepreneurial skills in waste management for survival amidst economichardship. Furthermore, DIY ( =255.47; p<.000) and marketing skills (=318.53; p<.000) significantly influence household waste management for survival amidst economic hardship in Eket LGA.

It was concluded that the integration of Do-It Yourself and marketing skills in waste management significantly enhance the resilience and survival of households in Eket LGA, particularly in the face of economic hardship. Based on the findings the researchers recommended among others that the local government and relevant stakeholders should invest in the development and implementation of entrepreneurship training programmes focused on enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of individuals, particularly in resource management