By ITOHAN ABARA-LASERIAN

Nigeria is strengthening its border management architecture through digital technology, biometric identity systems, intelligence sharing and stronger collaboration with border communities.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs Kemi Nandap, made this known at the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) 2026 conference on Monday in Lagos.

She said the transformation was necessary as changing migration patterns, regional integration, cross-border economic activities and emerging security threats continue to reshape Africa’s borderlands.

The conference is with theme:”The Connected Borderlands: Socio-Cultural Integration and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security,” brought together scholars, policymakers, practitioners and development partners.

The stakeholders examined the changing nature of border management across Africa.

According to Nandap, borders should no longer be viewed merely as geographical lines separating sovereign states, but as dynamic spaces where families, communities and cultures interact and where legitimate trade and movement take place.

She said the challenge for governments was to keep these spaces secure while facilitating lawful mobility, strengthening regional cooperation and preserving the socio-cultural and economic relationships that sustain border communities.

She noted that the nature of border security had also evolved, with threats such as human trafficking, migrant smuggling, identity fraud, organised crime, terrorism and cyber-enabled crimes increasingly operating across national boundaries.

“Addressing them requires us to work differently and, importantly, to work together,” she said.

The NIS boss said that the service was therefore combining the experience and professional judgment of its officers with technology, intelligence and stronger institutional cooperation to respond to emerging threats.

She outlined Nigeria’s progression in modern border management, recalling that the country became the first African nation to introduce the electronic passport in 2007.

She said Nigeria had subsequently introduced an enhanced e-Passport with stronger security and biometric features, while automating passport applications, payment systems, processing and identity verification.

According to her, the centralisation of passport personalisation has also improved the integrity and efficiency of passport production.

She further said Nigeria’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Public Key Directory (ICAO PKD) was strengthening international confidence in the authentication of Nigerian electronic passports.

She noted that contactless biometric passport services were making passport processes more accessible to Nigerians living abroad while maintaining required security standards.

The comptroller-general also highlighted the deployment of automated border control systems, including e-gates, at Nigeria’s international airports.

He said the systems were transforming passenger processing by combining biometric identity verification with faster, more efficient and secure border procedures.

These measures, she said, are being complemented by investments in surveillance systems, command and control capabilities, communications infrastructure, and integrated border and data platforms covering Nigeria’s air, land and maritime borders.

She stressed, however, that the investments were not about technology for its own sake.

“Their fundamental purpose is to enhance the capacity of our officers to make timely and well-informed decisions, identify emerging risks at an earlier stage and improve operational coordination, and facilitate the seamless movement of legitimate travelers while safeguarding national security,” she said.

The NIS boss also emphasised the continued importance of the human element in border management, saying technology could not replace professionalism, experience, judgment and integrity.

She called for greater involvement of border communities, describing them as strategic partners whose local knowledge could contribute significantly to effective border management.

The Chairman of ABORNE, Prof. Paul Nugent said emerging health threats such as Ebola, COVID-19 and regional insurgencies routinely placed borders at the center of political and security interventions.

He said that these often lead to prolonged closures.

Nugent said that bridging academia and policy, ABORNE aimed to move beyond isolated academic debate by actively engaging border enforcement agencies, policymakers, and field practitioners.

He said that in reframing African borderlands, rather than viewing borders purely through the lens of instability or poor reputation, ABORNE scholars emphasise borderlands as vibrant hubs of trade, urban innovation, and cultural creativity.

Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, a former Director of the Centre for African Regional Integration and Border Studies, commended the ABORNE conference. (NAN)

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