Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, has called for a new approach to global engagement with Africa, emphasising sovereignty, strategic autonomy, investment in infrastructure and partnerships that promote shared prosperity.
Enikanolaiye made the call at the Berlin Global Dialogue 2026 during a high-level panel on “Foreign policy by other means: trade, technology, and geopolitical power”, held at the Policy Lab on infrastructure and investment.
The minister’s Special Assistant on Digital Media and Public Diplomacy, Mr Raphael Oni, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Enikanolaiye said Africa was increasingly asserting its right to determine its development priorities while pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships with the international community.
He said Nigeria’s vision for reformed engagement with Africa was anchored on sovereignty, strategic autonomy, domestic resource mobilisation and bankable infrastructure projects.
“Africa has come to this conversation with great assets, substantial opportunities and determination to shape its own development based on partnership with the rest of the world,” he said.
The minister observed that global diplomacy was moving away from rigid political alliances towards pragmatic and transaction-focused relationships, citing a recent policy lab organised in Abuja by a foreign embassy.
He maintained that governments should create an enabling environment for private enterprise to thrive, recalling Nigeria’s stabilising role through the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which helped Nigerian banks expand their regional operations.
Enikanolaiye also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strategic autonomy, saying the country’s foreign policy allowed it to pursue its national interests irrespective of the ideological leanings or political affiliations of different global blocs.
On investment, he said government policies required investors to establish local processing industries, while ensuring strict compliance with environmental standards and safeguards for host communities.
“We learned from our experience in the Niger Delta. We are now doing things differently to give rights to local communities where minerals are found,” he said.
He identified reliable electricity, efficient intermodal transport systems and adequate digital connectivity as critical infrastructure needs for expanding production, attracting investment and creating opportunities for Africa’s growing youth population.
The minister also highlighted metering systems for revenue generation as a major investment opportunity in the continent’s power sector.
According to him, African governments have undertaken reforms of outdated laws to improve the investment climate, supported by macroeconomic stabilisation and deregulation.
He, however, stressed that reducing investment risks required well-prepared projects, predictable regulatory frameworks, transparent procurement processes and credible risk-sharing arrangements.
Enikanolaiye cited Africa’s average economic growth rate of 4.3 per cent, compared with the continent’s seven per cent ambition, while noting progress towards the introduction of the ECO common currency.
He identified Nigeria’s single window system and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), launched in January 2026, as important mechanisms for boosting intra-African trade.
Noting that trade among African countries accounted for 16 per cent under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he called for stronger economic integration.
“We need to trade more among ourselves to develop competitive advantages.”
The minister also advocated reforms to the international credit rating system, welcomed the establishment of the African Credit Rating Agency and stressed that Africa’s ambitions in artificial intelligence would depend significantly on access to stable electricity.
Meanwhile, Enikanolaiye and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Sen. Ita Enang, met with Lesotho’s Foreign Minister, Limpho Tau, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and the possibility of establishing a Lesotho diplomatic presence in Abuja.
During the meeting, Tau commended Nigeria’s historic contributions to the liberation of African countries and called on Nigerian industrialists, including the Dangote Group, to explore investment opportunities in Lesotho.
He said the discussions would help deepen bilateral cooperation through the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD).
