African Union (AU) has formulated several policy measures towards strengthening border management systems and ensuring peace and stability for the African continent. For example, the Cairo Declaration sought to maintain the borders inherited from colonialism to safeguard unity through cooperation and integration. On the other hand, the AU Border Programme (AUPB) has several pillars that address the development of African countries’ capabilities towards border governance, conflict prevention and resolution, border security and transnational threats. The AUPB is also focusing on Africa’s mobility, migration and trade facilitation, cooperative border management, and borderland development, and community engagement.
The African Union Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) encourages African countries to adopt and adapt smart technologies that can adequately address the illegal activities on their borders. This will strengthen border control management systems as well as data sharing between African countries. Additionally, smart technologies can be utilised to easily detect the smuggling of weapons and drugs across borders, reduce human trafficking, and improve the governance of imports and exports goods and services between African countries. Smart border control technologies such as digital technologies empowered by artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies can also increase tax revenue management and strengthen trade between African countries to bolster socio-economic development and growth. In addition, smart digital border technologies can help security officials and agencies have better decision-making support through enhanced database sharing. Such database sharing efforts can also enhance the reliability and efficiency of border control systems. These smart borders can increase not only security but also mobility of goods and services.
Source: African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)