Sessions

• Africa Workshop – Leveraging Technology, Cooperation, and Humanitarian Approaches to Border Security in Africa: The Role of Government and NGOs

  Organized by the African Young People Support Centre (AYPSC), De La Colina Charity and African Smart Cities Innovation Foundation, this session at the 2025 World Border Security Congress in Madrid will focus on a multi-faceted approach to border security in Africa. Africa faces significant border challenges, from irregular migration and human trafficking to terrorism and regional instability. These challenges demand innovative solutions that go beyond traditional border control. This 3-hour session will explore how leveraging technology, enhancing cross-border cooperation, and integrating humanitarian interventions can create a more secure and humane border environment.

  The session will examine the role of modern technology in enhancing border security while safeguarding human rights. Tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), biometrics, drones, and digital surveillance have already demonstrated significant potential. For instance, AI-enabled facial recognition systems have successfully curtailed human trafficking networks along the Nigeria-Niger border. In North Africa, drone technology has been used effectively to monitor vast, remote desert areas where insurgents and traffickers operate. These technologies, when coupled with cooperation between African governments and international bodies, can lead to more secure borders.

  Cooperation between governments, regional organizations, and NGOs is equally crucial. The African Union Border Program (AUBP) has been a model of how states can work together to address transnational issues like terrorism and cross-border crime. NGOs play an indispensable role in this ecosystem, particularly by addressing the humanitarian crises often linked to harsh border enforcement. The African Young People Support Centre has been at the forefront of mitigating irregular migration through educational programs, providing legal aid, and offering psychosocial support to vulnerable populations, particularly youth. NGO work along the Central African migratory routes has been critical in offering alternatives to risky, irregular migration.

  The humanitarian aspect is crucial, especially in light of increasing global attention on the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières, in collaboration with regional NGOs, have provided critical healthcare and resources at key border points in Libya and Sudan. By incorporating humanitarian interventions, governments can ensure that border security does not come at the cost of human dignity.

  In this session, participants will gain insights into how technology, collaboration, and humanitarian approaches can be combined to create a more effective border security framework in Africa. The session will provide actionable strategies for stakeholders in government, international organizations, and NGOs, with the ultimate goal of creating secure and humane borders that protect both sovereignty and human rights.

• Identity Management

  Identity Verification is self-evidently the key to effective border management. For all border agencies, verify each person’s identity against government databases determines whether an individual is welcome into a country or not. Morphed photo: Use of a morphed image in a genuine document, allowing two individuals to share the same passport. Counterfeit: The complete fake reproduction of a genuine document made with non-genuine materials or using parts of genuine documents. How do we accurately verify documents using the tools available such as biometrics and digital signatures, encryption and watermarking.