IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v9y2025issue-7p1558-1569.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cyber-crimes and Youth Empowerment for Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Augustine Eguavuon Ainabor

    (Department of Public Administration, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi)

  • Benjamin Osalumese Akuza

    (Department of Public Administration, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi)

Abstract

The study which is based on content analysisis an attempt to establish anexus between cybercrimes, youth empowerment and socio-economic development in Nigeria. It explores the underlying factors that contribute to youth involvement in cybercrimes, as well as the impact of cybercrimes on youth empowerment in Nigeria. Cybercrime poses a significant threat to individuals, businesses andgovernmentsthe world overas it hinders meaningful socio-economic development of any country. Cybercrime no doubt, remains a serious challenge to the teeming youth in Nigeria and has become a source of worries to well-meaning Nigerians including the leadership of the country. In order to achieve the objective of this study, secondary data were collected, and data obtained were content-analyzed to establish a nexus between cybercrime and youth empowerment in Nigeria. The study also analyzes the nature and prevalence of cybercrimes among Nigerian youth, the challenges to youth empowerment in the country, and efforts at addressing these challenges. Findings reveal that cybercrimes undermine youth empowerment by limiting their access to education, gainful employment and other opportunities, and that the inability of Nigerian youth to navigate the digital environment safely and responsibly poses grave danger to Nigerians and the Nigerian economy. It was also found that lack of digital training, non-acquisition ofcyber security skills, poverty, unemployment and social inequality, are among the key factors that drive youth involvement in cybercrimes. Based on the finding, the paper recommends among others the need to address the root causes through the empowerment of young people with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the digital landscapethus mitigating the risks of cybercrime and unlocking new opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship and socio-economic development in Nigeria. The study equally recommends the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to youth empowerment that integrates initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of cybercrimes. It concludes that only a deliberate promotion of digital literacy and cyber security skills among the Nigerian youth can guarantee youth empowerment and socio-economic development in Nigeria.

Suggested Citation

  • Augustine Eguavuon Ainabor & Benjamin Osalumese Akuza, 2025. "Cyber-crimes and Youth Empowerment for Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(7), pages 1558-1569, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-7:p:1558-1569
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-9-issue-7/1558-1569.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/cyber-crimes-and-youth-empowerment-for-socio-economic-development-in-nigeria/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J Deming & Kadeem Noray, 2020. "Earnings Dynamics, Changing Job Skills, and STEM Careers," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(4), pages 1965-2005.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. John Carter Braxton & Kyle F. Herkenhoff & Jonathan Rothbaum & Lawrence Schmidt, 2021. "Changing Income Risk across the US Skill Distribution: Evidence from a Generalized Kalman Filter," Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers 55, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    2. Maciej Berk{e}sewicz & Herman Cherniaiev & Robert Pater, 2021. "Estimating the number of entities with vacancies using administrative and online data," Papers 2106.03263, arXiv.org.
    3. Barth, Erling & Davis, James C. & Freeman, Richard B. & McElheran, Kristina, 2023. "Twisting the demand curve: Digitalization and the older workforce," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 233(2), pages 443-467.
    4. Seah, Kelvin KC & Pan, Jessica & Tan, Poh Lin, 2025. "Depth or diversity? Examining the longer run impacts of college curriculum breadth," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    5. Melanie Arntz & Cäcilia Lipowski & Guido Neidhöfer & Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage, 2025. "Computers as Stepping Stones? Technological Change and Equality of Labor Market Opportunities," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 43(2), pages 503-543.
    6. Bachmann, Ronald & Klauser, Roman, 2024. "How do workers react to increased job loss fears? The role of training and job mobility," Ruhr Economic Papers 1137, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    7. Bergeaud, Antonin & Mazet-Sonilhac, Clément & Malgouyres, Clément & Signorelli, Sara, 2021. "Technological Change and Domestic Outsourcing," IZA Discussion Papers 14603, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Hung Chau & Sarah H Bana & Baptiste Bouvier & Morgan R Frank, 2023. "Connecting higher education to workplace activities and earnings," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(3), pages 1-18, March.
    9. David J. Deming, 2021. "The Growing Importance of Decision-Making on the Job," NBER Working Papers 28733, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Tobias Schultheiss & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2021. "Different degrees of skill obsolescence across hard and soft skills and the role of lifelong learning for labor market outcomes," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0188, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW), revised Sep 2022.
    11. Mahdi Gholami & Samuel Muehlemann, 2024. "Pathways to Prosperity: The Roles of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills in Employer Quality and Early Career Earnings," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0212, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW), revised Dec 2024.
    12. Morgan Raux, 2019. "Looking for the "Best and Brightest": Hiring difficulties and high-skilled foreign workers," AMSE Working Papers 1934, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    13. David Autor & Caroline Chin & Anna Salomons & Bryan Seegmiller, 2024. "New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 139(3), pages 1399-1465.
    14. Vezza, Evelyn & Zunino,Gonzalo & Laguinge,Luis & Moroz, Harry Edmund & Apella, Ignacio Raul & Spivack, Marla Hillary, 2025. "Understanding Labor Market Demand in Real Time in Argentina and Uruguay," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11086, The World Bank.
    15. Hemelt, Steven W. & Hershbein, Brad & Martin, Shawn & Stange, Kevin M., 2023. "College majors and skills: Evidence from the universe of online job ads," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    16. Arueyingho, Oritsetimeyin & Chitchyan, Ruzanna & Bird, Caroline, 2023. "Career progression and skills in Smart Local Energy Systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 349(C).
    17. Christina Langer & Simon Wiederhold, 2023. "The Value of Early-Career Skills," Working Papers 222, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    18. Laura Nowzohour, 2021. "Can Adjustments Costs in Research Derail the Transition to Green Growth ?," CIES Research Paper series 67-2021, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    19. Arellano-Bover, Jaime & Bussotti, Carolina & Nunley, John M. & Seals Jr., R. Alan, 2024. "Unbundling the Effects of College on First-Job Search: Returns to Majors, Minors, and Extracurriculars," IZA Discussion Papers 17552, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Eric A. Hanushek & Babs Jacobs & Guido Schwerdt & Rolf van der Velden & Stan Vermeulen & Simon Wiederhold, 2021. "Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages," CESifo Working Paper Series 9388, CESifo.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-7:p:1558-1569. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.