Only 23.7 per cent of the youth aged 15-25 surveyed were involved in the informal sector as proprietors. The majority, 76.3 per cent were either doing nothing or involved in some form of casual work. This goes against the conventional view that the informal sector is the preserve of youth proprietors. Results appear to suggest that participation of youth in the informal sector as proprietors increases with age. For example, only 9.6 per cent of the youth aged 15-19 were proprietors.
Enterprise is particularly important for specific age groups within the category of youth.
It is therefore not for everyone. Young people in the lower age categories may lack the necessary resources to run a viable enterprise. Entrepreneurship cannot be promoted on a large scale as a panacea to the youth employment problem. A differentiated approach to the promotion of enterprise development is important. We must also remember that the development of youth enterprise can be positively and negatively influenced by gender, education, location as well as category of youth age group.