FG plans ₦41bn upgrade of Nigerian embassies worldwide
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
The Federal Government has set aside more than ₦41 billion in its 2026 budget proposal for the renovation and upgrade of 109 Nigerian diplomatic missions across the world.
The planned expenditure covers the refurbishment of chancery buildings, ambassadors’ residences and staff quarters, alongside the supply of office furniture, equipment and official vehicles for missions abroad. The move is aimed at improving the working conditions and overall efficiency of Nigeria’s foreign missions, many of which have struggled with ageing infrastructure and funding gaps in recent years.
Budget estimates indicate varying allocations for individual missions, reflecting differences in scale and operational needs. Missions in cities such as Cairo, Cotonou, Freetown, New York, London, Johannesburg, Beijing, Nairobi and Algiers are among those listed for upgrades, with individual provisions running into hundreds of millions of naira.
The proposed ₦41bn allocation represents a notable reduction from the ₦53bn approved for similar purposes in the 2025 fiscal year, signalling a more restrained spending approach amid broader budgetary pressures.
Since taking office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu has initiated a review of Nigeria’s foreign policy architecture, including the recall of 83 ambassadors in September 2023. However, the redeployment of new envoys has been delayed, largely due to financial constraints affecting embassy operations and the cost of deploying ambassadors.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has previously acknowledged that limited funding has hampered the effective functioning of several missions and slowed the process of filling long-vacant diplomatic posts.
In December 2025, President Tinubu forwarded an expanded list of 64 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate as part of efforts to reposition Nigeria’s diplomatic presence globally. The nominees included both career and non-career appointees, all of whom have since been confirmed by the upper chamber.
According to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the newly appointed ambassadors are expected to assume duty in 2026. Their deployment, alongside the planned upgrades of foreign missions, is projected to strengthen Nigeria’s bilateral relations and enhance its diplomatic engagement on the global stage.
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