Nigeria Must Reposition Global Partnerships Around Trade, Investment — ADSC Report

The Africa Development Studies Centre (ADSC) has called for a major overhaul of Nigeria’s foreign policy strategy, urging the country to adopt a more trade-driven and investment-focused approach to international relations in pursuit of sustainable economic development.

The position was contained in a new policy research report presented by Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, who said Nigeria must move away from what he described as passive diplomacy toward strategic economic engagement with global partners.

According to the report, global influence is increasingly shaped by trade alliances, supply chain integration, and cross-border investments, warning that Nigeria risks economic underperformance if its foreign policy remains largely symbolic.

The Centre noted that many of Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements have failed to translate into measurable outcomes such as industrial growth, infrastructure expansion, export development, and job creation.

ADSC argued that countries that achieved rapid economic transformation deliberately aligned their foreign policies with national economic priorities, ensuring that international partnerships directly supported development goals.

The report identified several countries and blocs Nigeria should prioritise under a renewed economic diplomacy framework.

It stated that relations with China should evolve beyond infrastructure financing into stronger industrial and manufacturing partnerships capable of driving export-led growth.

The Centre also pointed to opportunities with the United Kingdom in governance innovation and financial systems, while describing the United Arab Emirates as a strategic gateway for global trade logistics and investment inflows.

According to the report, Germany offers important opportunities in industrial development and renewable energy collaboration, while stronger engagement with South Africa is necessary to deepen intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.

The report further highlighted the importance of partnerships with India in pharmaceuticals, digital infrastructure, and scalable manufacturing systems.

ADSC also urged Nigeria to strengthen its participation in multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization and emerging economic blocs like BRICS to improve market access and expand economic influence.

A major recommendation of the report is the adoption of a results-based implementation framework for international agreements.

The Centre proposed integrating Policy-as-a-Platform (PaaP), a digital governance model aimed at tracking policy implementation, alongside Results-as-a-Service (RaaS), which links diplomatic engagements to measurable economic outcomes such as investment inflows, exports, and employment generation.

The report also called for Nigerian embassies abroad to be repositioned as active trade and investment centres rather than conventional diplomatic outposts.

It further recommended the creation of joint economic implementation councils with partner countries to ensure agreements translate into tangible projects and measurable development outcomes.

Speaking on the report, Oluwafemi said Nigeria must shift from merely signing international agreements to ensuring real economic benefits for citizens.

“The difference between a nation that participates in global diplomacy and one that leads global economic transformation lies in execution,” he stated.

He added that bilateral relations should become structured channels for investment, innovation, and sustainable development capable of strengthening Nigeria’s economic relevance and global competitiveness.

The ADSC concluded that Nigeria’s future economic growth and international standing would depend largely on how effectively it leverages its bilateral and multilateral partnerships in an increasingly competitive global economy.