In what four ways has Nigeria demonstrated that Africa is the centre-piece of her foreign policy?

Answer Details

Since independence, Africa has been the centre-piece of Nigeria's foreign policy, meaning that Nigeria gives first priority to the interests and welfare of the African continent. Four ways in which this has been demonstrated are:

1. Leading role in forming continental and regional bodies: Nigeria was a founding and leading member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU), and spearheaded the creation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975 to promote African unity and integration.
2. Support for the liberation of African states: Nigeria gave moral, material and financial support to liberation movements, and was in the forefront of the struggle against apartheid and colonialism in Southern Africa, giving strong backing to countries such as Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa.
3. Peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa: Nigeria contributed troops and resources to peacekeeping operations, notably the ECOMOG interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and to numerous other peace efforts on the continent.
4. Financial and technical assistance to African countries: Nigeria extended aid, loans and technical help to fellow African states, and established bodies such as the Nigerian Trust Fund and the Technical Aid Corps to provide skilled personnel and development assistance across Africa.