When President Bola Tinubu scrutinises the list of proposed ambassadors, the ability of candidates to serve the economic interests of Nigeria should be a crucial factor in his decisions. Modern-day diplomats do more than engage in foreign policy. They play a critical role in advancing commercial interests in a highly competitive global marketplace. This is essential to achieving sustainable and inclusive growth for the nation. What ambassadors and diplomats do abroad, contributes to creating jobs at home.
Introducing a dedicated commission tasked with evaluating and enhancing the effectiveness of ambassadors would be a strategic move for the president. Nigeria does not need characters that would exploit their offices for their selfish interest. Something to consider is that it is quite difficult to manage these characters, which makes it imperative to have an independent commission under the presidency that would ensure that set targets are achieved.
As representatives of the government, they are responsible for advancing Nigeria's economic interests strategically and sustainably. Thus, diplomats and ambassadors need a clear set of success measures that account for their performance which in turn will determine their continuity in office. This measure can be biannual, quarterly or annually.
In the private sector, these are referred to as Key Performance Indicators or KPIs, which provide a quantifiable measure of performance over time for a specific objective. KPIs provide targets to gauge progress, and insights that help people across an organisation make better decisions.
Not prioritising the economic role of ambassadors and diplomats may be short-changing the nation. It may also explain why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not realised the vision stated on its website of Nigeria becoming one of the top twenty economies in the world by the year 2020.
This vision is not far from being achieved; however, it will require the government to redirect the focus of our diplomatic missions to economic diplomacy that is primarily geared towards foreign direct investments, and sustainable economic and all-inclusive growth.
Nigeria should strengthen its economic diplomacy. This is considered a critical driver for governments that are determined to advance and sustain their national economic growth and development, foreign direct investments, interest, and promote international relations via their various diplomatic missions.
By leveraging diplomatic sales capability, the ambassadors and commercial diplomats should explore the peculiarities of the country in which their diplomatic mission is based and draft or come up with a good sales budget and programmes that would attract foreign investors and investment, build mutual trust and create business opportunities to foster sustainable and all-inclusive economic growth. Also, for the Nigerian diplomatic missions to effectively serve as drivers of economic diplomacy, they must have the tactical ability to provide the entrepreneur sector with useful information on business and investment opportunities in Nigeria, which is especially useful for small and medium enterprises, or to provide political support to businesses in foreign countries, which is in some countries or some cases a prerequisite for local companies to succeed.
Our ambassadors and diplomats must have a thorough knowledge of the economic landscapes, and latest economic trends in Nigeria and the host country of their various missions, this includes shifts in economic challenges, global supply chains, emerging technologies, regulatory changes, information on small and medium scale enterprises that would be beneficial to Nigeria. This will help them identify new opportunities for trade and investment, as well as anticipate the potential risks and challenges.
Apart from the conventional methods of economic diplomacy, Nigerian diplomatic missions can employ other distinct and inventive techniques to promote economic expansion and establish robust alliances with foreign nations by promoting cultural diplomacy: This is another effective strategy for fostering connections and advancing economic growth. Diplomatic missions can foster goodwill and open doors for economic cooperation by exhibiting their nation's cultural heritage. This entails marketing cultural events, lending support to artistic and cultural organisations, or utilising cultural exchanges as a means of fostering relationships with potential business partners.
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Emphasize digital diplomacy: In today's world of interconnectivity, digital diplomacy has grown in significance as a means for diplomats to establish connections with critical stakeholders and reach a larger audience. Social media platforms, virtual conferences, and other digital channels can be utilised by diplomats to further our economic goals, establish connections with possible allies, and exchange knowledge and optimal methodologies. This implies that to some extent; our diplomats should be culturally rooted and possess an appreciable knowledge of communication technology.
We must applaud Mr president on his strides and initiative to properly scrutinise the list of ambassadors submitted to his office, and continue to hope that he appoints deserving leaders with clean slates, the merits and capabilities to represent, grow and promote sustainable and all-inclusive economic growth and development in Nigeria.
Oboh Jerry Sankay (PhD) is Director of Administration, Confederation of APC Support Groups
