Nigeria’s foreign policy under the Buhari administration (2015–2023): Initiatives, challenges and policy outcomes

Abstract

This study examines Nigerian foreign policy under the Buhari administration (2015–2023), assessing policy initiatives, implementation strategies, and outcomes. Grounded in Role Theory, the research posits that a state’s international role depends on its internal capacity. Utilizing secondary data from policy documents and scholarly records, the study finds a significant tension between Nigeria’s traditional regional leadership aspirations and its declining domestic capacity. Findings reveal that while security diplomacy revitalized the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), persistent insurgency and banditry highlighted the limits of a purely militarized approach. Furthermore, economic diplomacy was frequently undermined by protectionist measures, such as the 2019–2020 land border closure and delayed African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) engagement, which weakened Nigeria’s regional influence. Despite continued Afrocentric rhetoric, Nigeria’s actual role performance within Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union declined. The study concludes that domestic insecurity, economic fragility, and institutional weaknesses severely constrained the effectiveness of Nigeria’s foreign policy, resulting in a widening gap between the country’s self-conceived leadership role and its actual international impact.