The Evolution of the UK's Policy towards Nigeria in 2016-2022

Great Britain, despite being the "first power of the second rank", remains a key player in the system of international relations. The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a nuclear power and the sixth economy in the world, the British monarch heads the Commonwealth, an organization that includes 56 states, and the City of London is one of the world's financial centers. Since 2016 after the referendum on leaving the EU, the British foreign policy strategy formalizes the concept of "Global Britain", according to which the country positions itself as a separate center of power with interests in all parts of the world, including Africa. This study examines the evolution of London's policy towards Nigeria, the regional leader of West Africa and the former British colony, as an example of the implementation of a new foreign policy strategy in 2016-2022. The work covers key areas of British policy towards Abuja, such as diplomatic and military-political contacts, trade and investment cooperation, and development aid policy. This work presents the most detailed study in Russian historiography of Britain's modern policy towards Nigeria, with an analysis of previously unexplored materials and facts that allow for a new look at both the kingdom's foreign policy and the relations of the ex-metropolis with the former colony.