Creative Skills for Economic Growth: Visual Arts Education and Youth Empowerment in Niger state, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study interrogates visual arts education as a catalytic instrument for youth empowerment and national economic development in Nigeria. The study explores how visual arts education can equip youths with practical, creative, and entrepreneurial skills capable of reducing unemployment, alleviating poverty, and enhancing economic productivity. Adopting a qualitative framework and historical analytical method, the study draws evidence from existing literature, field observations, and selected local government areas in Niger State. The findings reveal that visual arts education provides viable opportunities for self-reliance through diverse art-related practices such as brass works, textile design, pottery, graphic design, and craft production. These activities not only generate income for youths but also contribute to internally generated revenue, cultural preservation, and social stability. The study further establishes that the neglect of visual arts education in policy formulation has limited its potential impact on economic development. The paper concludes that effective integration of visual arts education into youth empowerment programmes can foster sustainable economic growth and democratic stability. It therefore recommends supportive policies, improved training of art educators, and the establishment of functional art and craft centres to maximise the economic benefits of visual arts education in Niger State and Nigeria at large.