A leading international development expert and media entrepreneur, Sir Victor Oluwafemi, KJW, has commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the posting of ambassador-designates to key foreign missions, describing the move as timely and critical to repositioning Nigeria’s diplomacy for measurable national impact.
Oluwafemi, an Isle of Man–based member of the Nigerian diaspora and principal architect of the Policy as a Platform (PaaP) and Results as a Service (RaaS) frameworks, said the appointments present an opportunity to shift Nigeria’s foreign missions from protocol-focused engagement to outcomes-led delivery.
In a statement on Friday, Oluwafemi said Nigeria’s embassies must now adopt modern delivery disciplines that convert diplomatic goodwill into tangible results for the country.
“Diplomacy must be more than protocol. It must translate into investment pipelines, trade opportunities, diaspora confidence and a reputation lift that is backed by delivery,” he said.
He explained that PaaP provides a structured approach for translating national priorities into clear mission workflows and service standards, while RaaS introduces a quarterly scorecard to track results such as partnerships secured, investment leads progressed, trade outcomes and improvements in diaspora and consular services.
Oluwafemi urged the newly appointed envoys—particularly the ambassador-designate to the United States—to adopt a clear, results-focused agenda that can be applied across Nigeria’s missions in Washington, London and Paris, noting that Washington remains Nigeria’s most strategic theatre for investment mobilisation and diaspora engagement.
He outlined three priority actions for immediate implementation by the missions.
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First, he called for the establishment of embassy-convened diaspora and investment councils to bring together diaspora leaders, business chambers, institutional partners and credible investors, supported by quarterly calendars and defined committee mandates.
He said this would institutionalise engagement, reduce fragmentation and create a permanent mobilisation platform.
Second, he proposed the launch of an annual flagship investment and diaspora conference by each mission, anchored by a Deal Room showcasing vetted opportunities, matching partners and tracking post-event progress.
“For the United States, a Nigeria–US Diaspora Prosperity Conference and Deal Room in Washington, DC, would help convert goodwill into bankable pipelines and sustained investment momentum,” he said.
Third, Oluwafemi urged missions to publish quarterly results scorecards under the RaaS framework, tracking measurable outputs such as partnerships secured, investment enquiries progressed, trade and export facilitation outcomes, diaspora engagement metrics and service delivery improvements.
He said transparent reporting would enhance credibility and distinguish Nigeria’s diplomacy as outcomes-led.
“Washington should become the benchmark mission by institutionalising PaaP-style delivery workflows and RaaS scorecard reporting, while London and Paris drive the same discipline through their own strategic corridors,” he added.
The Presidency had earlier announced that President Tinubu approved Ambassador Ayodele Oke as ambassador-designate to France, retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are as ambassador-designate to the United States, and Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu as high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.
