Rural-Urban Migration and Economic Development In Rural Communities Of Enugu State Nigeria.

Abstract

The study examined the rural-urban migration and economic development in Rural Communities of Enugu State Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to: investigate the influence of rural-urban migration on agricultural production and handicraft business in Rural Communities of Enugu State Nigeria. Research design of the study was questionnaire survey research. The sample size of 364 respondents was drawn from population of the study which consists of 521,486 indigenes of three selected Local Government Area of Enugu State Nigeria. The data analytical technique was single regression. The empirical results show that rural-urban migration has negative influence on agricultural production in Rural Communities of Enugu State Nigeria (t – statistics ; -8.312 ; P-values (0.000; < Sig-value 0.05) and rural-urban migration has negative significant influence on handicraft business in Rural Communities of Enugu State Nigeria (t – statistics ; -5.491; P-values (0.000; < Sig-value 0.05). The study concluded that there was negative and significant influence of rural-urban migration on economic development in Rural Communities of Enugu State Nigeria. The study recommended that government of Enugu State should strive to provide social amenities and facilities in the rural areas. More generally, government should invest in education and access to technology and social infrastructure in rural areas so that the rural residents can enjoy the same facilities as city dwellers.