Good Governance: Nigeria’s Roadmap to Image Repair

The influence, relevance and regard a country commands in the global community has everything to do with its image or lack thereof. A positive image garners respect as well as an associated level of credibility for a target country. On the other hand, a negative image can lead to lack of respect for a country among the comity of nations. Laundering or rebranding the very bruised image of Nigeria may be a tough sell in light of the extensive image hemorrhaging that has occurred until this time. However, a target country needs to be seen as making strides in the direction of overcoming the character flaws that characterize its image challenges. This study evaluates the potential benefit of good governance as a panacea for Nigeria’s badly bruised image. The study contributes to the ongoing debate on governance and development in sub-Saharan Africa, and provides recommendations for policy makers in emerging economies. Keywords: Good governance, Image-building, Development, Image rebranding, Emerging economies, International development.