Nigeria seeks regional cooperation to strengthen border governance

The National Boundary Commission, a major partner of the Association of Borderlands Research Network 2026 International Conference, has advocated stronger collaboration among governments, academia, border communities and development partners to address emerging challenges confronting Africa’s borderlands.

The commission made the call during the ongoing conference in Lagos themed “The Connected Borderlands, Socio-Cultural Integration, and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security.”  It disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by the commission’s Head of Information, Press and Public Relations, Chinwe Udouwem.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director-General, NBC, Adamu Adaji, described borderlands as “strategic zones of interaction, cooperation, opportunity and, at times, contestation,” stressing that effective border governance requires policies grounded in rigorous research and evidence-based analysis.

He noted that borders have become increasingly important spaces where security, trade, migration, environmental sustainability, identity, citizenship and regional integration intersect, adding that “the effective management of these borders requires not only physical infrastructure and security measures but also informed policies grounded in rigorous research and evidence-based analysis.”

As a major partner in the conference, according to the statement, the NBC also played a prominent role in the plenary roundtable discussion on “Frontiers: Border Demarcation, Maritime Governance and Cross-Border Cooperation in a Changing Security Landscape.”

The session featured the DG; Director, Maritime Boundaries, NBC, Mr Nurudeen Abba; Head, Cross-Border Cooperation, NBC, Dr Farouk Tarfa; and Force Commander, Multi-National Maritime Task Force in the Gulf of Guinea, Commodore M. S. Shettima, and was moderated by Dr Willie Eselebor, one of the ABORNE Chiefs.

The discussions examined boundary delimitation challenges, transboundary security threats and maritime governance, with particular attention to terrorism, banditry, arms trafficking, irregular migration, smuggling and maritime insecurity.

Adaji emphasised that “sustainable solutions to border challenges require strong collaboration between governments, academia, border communities and development partners,” while stressing that “the challenge before us therefore is not merely how to secure borders, but how to govern them in ways that balance sovereignty with cooperation, security with mobility, and national interests with regional aspirations.”

The African Borderlands Research Network, also known as ABORNE, is an interdisciplinary network established in 2007 to advance research on international borders, borderlands and transboundary phenomena across Africa, and policy engagement on borders and borderlands across Africa.

The conference is being co-hosted by the Lagos State University and the Nigeria Immigration Service. Partnering agencies include the National Boundary Commission, Border Communities Development Agency, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs.