Nigeria’s international reputation can disadvantage entrepreneurs through a “liability of origin.” Interviews with 12 nation-branding practitioners and policymakers show that trust cannot be repaired quickly through slogans. Credible nation branding requires managing tensions between promises and delivery, and between demands for rapid reputational improvement and the slow pace of institutional reform.

This research introduces the “signaling gap,” showing how states use controlled media to communicate positions they cannot express formally. Analyzing 174,000 articles, it finds that Russia-aligned countries signalled disapproval of the Ukraine invasion through negative coverage. The study bridges political science and intelligence practice, highlighting informal communication under constraint.