Foreign Policy and Regional Hegemony in Africa: A Study of the Nigeria-South Africa (2014) Arms Deal Debacle

This study investigates the efficacy of foreign policy thrust and instruments in attaining hegemonic status, especially by rival states within a region/continent. Predicated on this, the paper zeroes-in on the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa, identifying their interaction as delicate oscillation between cooperation and competition, with the 2014 Arms Deal debacle marking a watershed. As a qualitative study that relied on secondary data, the adoption of realist theory as framework backed by textual analysis informed the findings, discussions and recommendations of the paper. An appropriately articulated and executed foreign policy thrust by Nigeria to capture national interests will boost the country’s chances of levelling up with South Africa in the fierce competition for regional hegemony