Chatham House: President’s global outreach yet to deliver tangible gains at home Says without governance reforms, external partnerships yielding limited results Washington targets critical minerals with new deals Insists US no longer embarking on charity in Nigeria, others Our goal is to ensure Africa’s critical minerals flow to US, declares senior official Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja President Bola Tinubu’s high-profile diplomatic engagements, including his recent state visit to the United Kingdom, are yet to translate into meaningful improvements in the daily lives of Nigerians, according to a new assessment by Chatham House.
This comes as the United States unveiled a headline sweeping shift in its Africa policy anchored on trade, investment, and strategic interests, rather than on aid, stressing that its relationship with Africa will henceforth be strictly transactionary, rather than on ‘public moralising’.
But The Chatham House which report cast a critical light on the administration’s foreign policy approach, argued that while Tinubu has maintained an active and visible presence on the global stage, the domestic dividends of such engagements remain limited.
Despite efforts to position Nigeria as a key international partner and attract investment through agreements such as the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, economic hardship, insecurity, and structural weaknesses, it explained, continue to define the lived reality for most citizens.
Nearly three years into his presidency, the report noted that Tinubu’s diplomacy has been “rhetorically polished” and, at times, strategically sound, but has struggled to deliver broad-based economic relief.
While the government points to improvements such as easing inflation, a more stable naira, and renewed investor interest, these gains, according to the organisation, have not significantly reduced poverty, food insecurity, or weak consumer spending.
Instead, the reforms underpinning the administration’s economic agenda, including fuel subsidy removal, currency devaluation, and tax adjustments, it emphasised, have drawn comparisons to the painful structural adjustment policies of the late 1980s, which imposed lasting social costs without delivering inclusive growth.
Chatham House, a world renowned London-based independent non-profit policy institute, established over 100 years ago, is funded from a diverse mix of sources, including government grants and partnerships, multilateral institutions, corporate sponsors, among others.
The report highlighted deep structural constraints that continue to weigh on Nigeria’s economy, including limited access to electricity, weak public services, and persistent insecurity, which it said have hindered productivity and investment.
While growth remains concentrated in capital-intensive sectors such as finance and technology, agriculture, a major employer, according to Chatham House, is constrained by violence and logistical bottlenecks.
“Tinubu’s foreign policy has been rhetorically polished and sometimes strategically astute; it reflects Nigeria’s profile as a regional power and a key Commonwealth state, and has opened channels for deeper economic and security cooperation.
“But nearly three years into Tinubu’s presidency, the key question is whether this visibility-driven foreign policy has delivered domestic gains.
So far, the president’s prominent international profile has not largely translated into improvements in material conditions for most Nigerians.
“Tinubu has engaged in frequent presidential travel, maintaining a visible presence at summits across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
His trips – and those of senior officials – have drawn criticism for their cost amid rising poverty, hunger and falling purchasing power back home,” it pointed out.
Chatham House, officially the Royal Institute of International Affairs, founded in 1920 to promote the understanding of international affairs, stressed that although Nigeria has expanded cooperation with partners like the UK in areas such as counterterrorism and maritime security, these efforts have yet to significantly improve safety on the ground.
According to the organisation, violence, kidnappings, and insurgency persist across multiple regions, with thousands killed in the past year alone.
Chatham House argued that without parallel progress in governance reforms, justice systems, and local security structures, external partnerships will continue to yield only limited results.
It warned that the perception of a government focused more on international optics than domestic realities could deepen public discontent ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Tinubu’s administration has also sought international validation for its key domestic reforms – fuel subsidy removal, naira devaluation and tax reform.
His team cites various policy achievements as proof of success.
“These include headline inflation falling from above 30 per cent in 2024 to around 15 per cent last month; a stabilising naira; Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list; S&P raising its outlook to ‘positive’; and renewed investor interest.
“However, for many Nigerians, the combination of subsidy removal, devaluation and tougher taxation with weak safety nets recalls the ‘shock therapy’ of the late 1980s, when IMF-aligned reforms under General (Ibrahim) Babangida produced lasting social costs.
“Poverty remains high, food insecurity has risen, household spending remains weak and credit remains expensive for small firms.....
