Developing Intercultural Communication Training for Nigerian Diplomatic Personnel at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Nigerian diplomatic personnel require intercultural communication competence that extends beyond formal English language proficiency to encompass nuanced awareness of culturally variable communication norms, face management strategies, and pragmatic conventions in international diplomatic interactions. This study develops a professional intercultural communication training programme for Nigerian diplomatic personnel at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, drawing on a needs assessment conducted with serving and retired diplomats. The needs assessment combined a quantitative survey administered to eighty Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff including diplomats, diplomatic assistants, and protocol officers with in-depth interviews with fifteen senior diplomats who have served in at least three postings. Survey findings identify managing direct-indirect communication style differences, navigating non-Western social hierarchy protocols, conducting sensitive negotiations across cultural contexts, and managing formal diplomatic entertaining as the highest-priority intercultural communication competence domains. The training programme developed in response to these findings comprises six interactive workshop modules delivered over three days, covering intercultural communication theory, diplomatic register in multilingual contexts, face and politeness across cultures, crisis communication protocol, and practical simulation exercises. Programme content draws on recent intercultural pragmatics and diplomatic discourse literature. Expert review by three applied linguists specializing in intercultural communication and two serving senior diplomats informed final revisions to programme content and delivery design. An evaluation framework with pre- and post-training competence indicators is included. Keywords: intercultural communication, diplomacy, training programme, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria.