Nigeria
Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and full of entrepreneurial activity, an often-neglected observation under the wave of adverse media reports on the country’s security situation. While there are high levels of corruption and violence in Nigeria – much of it linked to its oil-producing regions and the hydrocarbon economy – there are also significant opportunities for reform.
With oil prices volatile and plummeting, the need to move the economy away from oil and gas is viewed as pressing by domestic stakeholders. But although politics is seen as fierce and chaotic, it appears to be solidifying the institutional mechanisms of changing rule through elections and coalitions.
Nigeria hasn’t yet plunged into a constitutional crisis nor seen high levels of internecine violence, which at the turn of the century would have seemed possible. While the nature of instability is that conditions could go either way, the opportunities for political representation run deep in Nigerian politics and representatives are unlikely to trade these for a complete return to authoritarianism.
These changes in the political settlement will impact upon policy design and outcomes. ACE’s sectoral analysis points to feasible and high-impact opportunities in productive sectors that would help to tackle corruption, meaning that our incremental approach will adapt well to these changing dynamics. With our partners, we believe the pursuit of reforms at sectoral levels will lead to more broad-based positive developmental outcomes for the country.
Publications
Corruption coverage: the role of the media during Nigeria’s 2019 elections
This study analyses media coverage of corruption and anti-corruption efforts ...
Setting the agenda or toeing the line? Corruption news coverage during Nigeria’s elections
This briefing presents the findings of an ACE research consortium ...
Anti-corruption agencies as debt recovery agents: the unintended consequences of anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was established in ...
Exploring health-sector absenteeism and feasible solutions: evidence from the primary healthcare level in Enugu, South East Nigeria
Many studies have found that absenteeism undermines the effective delivery ...
Research summaries – SOAS ACE projects in Nigeria
Read on for a full set of research summaries for ...
Corruption Reporting in the Media in the 2015 Nigerian Elections: Setting the Agenda or Toeing the Line?
What is the intersection between corruption, the media and electoral ...
What drives health workers to break the rules and use public resources for private gain? A review of the literature on sub-Saharan Africa
The health sector has long been identified as being one ...
The EFCC and the politics of (in)effective implementation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption policy
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria has been ...
The EFCC and the politics of (in)effective implementation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption policy
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria has been ...
Corruption in the health sector in Anglophone West Africa: Common forms of corruption and mitigation strategies
In West Africa, corruption features across sectors, including health, where ...