EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS ACQUISITION ON THE WELFARE OF AGRIBUSINESS HOUSEHOLDS IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

This study was undertaken to estimate the determinants of entrepreneurial skills acquisition among agribusiness households in the study area and determine the relationship between their skills and their household welfare. A multi stage sampling technique was employed in the selection of 80 households from 5 local government areas out of the 17 local government areas of the state. Primary source of data was obtained from using a set of questionnaire were administered on the respondents to obtain the needed data for the analysis with multiple regression and simple correlation. The results showed that sex, marital status, expenditure of the respondents had positive and significant effect on their entrepreneurial skills, while the respondents' age, access to credit and experience though had significant effects possessed negative signs on their entrepreneurial skills. The result also revealed that there was a positive relationship between entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurs' welfare. It was therefore recommended that, Effective and adequate entrepreneurship policies that will help to equip agribusiness entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial skills should be put in place. Secondly, youths should be encouraged to acquire at least one skill or another as this will a go a long way in curbing the menace of unemployment which has risen so high in Nigeria. Thirdly, programmes on agribusiness should be developed while addressing factors that hinder its growth and development as a way of actualizing the current change agenda and economic diversification of the present federal government of Nigeria.