The institutional framework of Nigeria’s foreign policy has evolved over the years in line with the political configuration of the State. This paper examined the key roles of the different institutions involved in Nigeria’s foreign policy, based on the three arms of government: the executive, legislature and judiciary, as well as the institutional challenges affecting its efficiency. It relied on the theoretical framings of the bureaucratic politics model and the findings revealed that Nigeria’s foreign policy institutional framework involves a multi-layer bureaucratic structure, with different agencies having competing interests, thus leading to poor coordination and inter-agency rivalry. It also revealed that insufficient budgetary allocations to the foreign ministry have impacted on the overall policy output. It concludes with the recommendation for the enactment of the Foreign Service Commission Bill and improved funding for foreign policy institutions.

Keywords: Bureaucratic Politics, Foreign Policy, Institutional Framework, Nigeria