| dc.description.abstract | This study examined the impediments to youth enterprise development fund loan repayment. Studies show that youths successfully repay loans consistently in the initial months after being awarded loans, but default there-after for reasons that are virtually unknown. Lack of steady repayment until the principal loan sum is fully cleared provides a breach that this study pursued to explore. This study set out to examine how entrepreneurship training, socio-economic factors, and business performance influence loan repayment among youth group beneficiaries. It was grounded in Group Lending Theory and Social Traits Theory; frameworks that explore how shared accountability and individual characteristics shape financial behavior. A descriptive research design was used, drawing on primary data sources. The research targeted 16 registered youth groups, including YEDF beneficiaries and fund officers. From this population, a stratified random sample of 123 respondents was selected. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and interviews, then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 27.0. Both descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were applied to the quantitative data, while qualitative responses were examined through thematic analysis. The findings showed that most beneficiaries reported gains in financial literacy and business management skills following entrepreneurship training. However, several constraints such as limited startup capital, low-income levels, and weak market linkages posed significant barriers to consistent loan repayment. Broader socio-economic challenges also emerged, including high unemployment, a poor culture of saving, and dependence on unstable income streams. In addition, business performance factors like low profitability and inadequate record-keeping were found to have a strong influence on repayment behavior’s study concludes that while the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) has expanded access to credit for young people, the sustainability of these gains is undermined by fragile repayment structures and insufficient follow-up after loan disbursement. To address these gaps, the study recommends ongoing entrepreneurship training, increased loan amounts tailored to real business needs, stronger post-loan monitoring systems, and improved collaboration between YEDF and local actors to boost accountability and compliance. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, development practitioners, and researchers seeking to strengthen youth credit systems and advance inclusive economic empowerment strategies. | en_US |
