The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and with support from the European Union, has commenced the process of resetting Nigeria’s national border management architecture, with a new five-year strategy expected to guide the country’s response to migration and cross-border security challenges from 2027 to 2031.
The move followed a high-level three-day workshop in Niger State where the NIS top management reviewed the expired 2019–2023 National Border Management Strategy (NBMS) and its Action Plan, with the new framework expected to incorporate lessons from the previous policy cycle and respond to emerging threats, migration patterns and technological changes.
The workshop, held at Zuma Rock Resort from September 27 to 30, brought together NIS top management and partners for strategic and technical discussions on the future direction of Nigeria’s border governance.
At the centre of the review is a push for a border management system driven by credible migration data, stronger inter-agency cooperation and clear mechanisms for translating policy into operational results.
The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, said the next strategy must be built around reliable data and effective implementation, stressing that Nigeria needed an actionable framework capable of responding to the changing nature of border management and security.
She also said the strategy should position Nigeria to provide leadership in integrated border management across Africa.
The development is significant because Nigeria’s 2019–2023 strategy was itself designed around an integrated approach in which immigration authorities work with other agencies whose responsibilities affect border management. The strategy identifies the NIS as the lead agency for managing the movement of people across Nigeria’s borders, while incorporating cooperation with other institutions responsible for related aspects of border control.
The previous strategy also extended border management beyond physical crossing points to include visa regimes, travel-document management, advance passenger information and aspects of migration management within Nigeria. Its integrated border management model envisaged coordination across land, air and sea borders and with other government agencies.
However, with the 2019–2023 framework now expired, the new review is expected to confront a substantially different operating environment, including evolving migration patterns, transnational crime and rapid advances in border-control technology.
IOM’s work with Nigeria has similarly identified the need to assess the implementation of the previous strategy, identify gaps and update the framework to reflect emerging migration and security threats. The review process has included attention to migration data management, inter-agency information sharing, biometrics, digital border controls and other technological developments.
The new strategy is therefore being developed against a wider national push to modernise border governance. The European Union’s migration-governance programme in Nigeria includes support for updating and implementing the NBMS, strengthening migration-data management, improving migration coordination and addressing trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.
At the workshop, participants held strategic discussions and technical sessions before presenting and consolidating their findings. The process was followed by an NIS Executive Management Endorsement Session, during which recommendations were reviewed, interventions prioritised, financing options considered and the proposed strategic direction for 2027–2031 examined.
The emphasis on financing and implementation is particularly important because the effectiveness of the new strategy will depend not only on the quality of its policy provisions but also on whether institutions have the resources, personnel, technology and coordination mechanisms required to implement them.
The NIS has in recent years expanded its technological approach to border management. Its institutional structure now includes a dedicated Border Management Directorate covering land control posts and patrols, airport control and aerial patrols, seaport control and marine patrols, as well as border services. The Service also maintains separate directorates for migration, visa and residency, and ICT and cyber security.
The Service and IOM have previously described their partnership as central to efforts to modernise migration management and border governance. In a 2025 strategic engagement, NIS said IOM technical support had contributed to institutional reforms, operational capacity and policy development, while IOM highlighted Nigeria’s deployment of systems including the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) and e-Border solutions.
The Federal Government has also identified border control as a national security priority, with the Ministry of Interior stressing the need for secure and technologically advanced border management.
The challenge before the NIS and its partners, therefore, is to translate the review into a strategy that can bridge the gap between policy and implementation while ensuring that Nigeria’s borders remain secure without undermining orderly migration and legitimate movement.
The outcome of the workshop provides the foundation for the next phase of the review, with the NIS and its partners expected to consolidate the recommendations into the proposed 2027–2031 National Border Management Strategy and Action Plan.
The exercise, according to the Service, reinforces its commitment to sustained collaboration with IOM, the European Union and other stakeholders in strengthening Nigeria’s border management system and ensuring continuous improvement in migration governance.
The new strategy will ultimately test whether Nigeria can move from having a border-management policy on paper to building an integrated, data-driven and adequately implemented system capable of securing its borders while effectively managing legitimate human mobility.
