The European Union’s promotion of democracy in Africa The case of Nigeria

Abstract

The European Union (EU) has promoted democracy in Nigeria through foreign policy, international agreements, and civil society support. However, these strategies and approaches often lack substantive action due to migration politics, geostrategic interests, and weakening democratic conditionalities. These factors undermine the normative foundations of democracy promotion within development cooperation, shifting Brussels’ focus away from political conditionalities that reinforce state accountability. By weakening mechanisms such as those enshrined in the Cotonou Agreement, this divergence dilutes the EU’s capacity to leverage democratic commitments as a prerequisite for sustained cooperation. A qualitative case study design was used for this research, and findings indicate that for the EU to be recognised as a significant promoter of democratic values in Nigeria, it must adopt targeted measures that enhance its democracy promotion efforts. These measures include implementing political conditionalities embedded in development cooperation agreements, enforcing targeted sanctions against actors involved in electoral malpractice within the government, and strengthening political dialogue in a manner comparable to the existing EU-Nigeria Business Forum. Therefore, rather than a mere rhetorical commitment, democracy promotion in Nigeria requires a strategic recalibration – one that integrates conditional incentives and enforcement mechanisms to reinforce democratic accountability and institutional resilience.