The Future of Nigeria

Monica Toft, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School moderated this panel conversation with Ambassador Adebowale Adefuye, Nigerian Ambassador to the US, and Ambassador Walter Carrington, US Ambassador to Nigeria (1993-97). Panelists addressed Nigeria’s recent democratization, considering the influential role of President Goodluck Jonathan, and recent economic growth and development. Overall, both Ambassadors were quite optimistic over Nigeria’s promise in realizing its potential in the years ahead. Questions from the audience addressed the challenge of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram to the future stability of Nigeria and, more generally, the prospects for Nigeria to serve as a model for democratic transition and the institutionalization of democracy elsewhere in the region.