Abuja – A delegation from the Malawian Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, (DoICS), has conducted a five-day comprehensive study visit to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) as part of ongoing efforts to enhance border governance and management through knowledge sharing on best practices between the two countries.

Led by the Acting Director General of Malawi Immigration and Citizenship Services, Commissioner Fletcher Nyirenda, the delegation gained insight into Nigeria’s advanced border management system, including the implementation of the MIDAS system, data collection protocols, and the overarching architecture of MIDAS to help guide Malawi's MIDAS expansion.

In Nigeria, the delegation was received by NIS Comptroller Odide Kalu in Lagos and IOM Chief of Mission, Laurent De Boeck, in Abuja. The delegation visited Seme Border Post, the MIDAS Training Centre, the Personnel Training and Resource Centre, and the Command Control Centre.

“The visit was strategic in understanding the operational framework of the MIDAS system and exploring ways to strengthen cooperation between our two countries”, said Commissioner Fletcher Nyirenda.

The study visit is part of IOM’s global vision to strengthen South-South cooperation on migration governance by fostering peer-to-peer exchanges and study visits between countries.

Stressing the importance of such a visit to regional cooperation, IOM Chief of Mission to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Laurent De Boeck, expressed IOM’s commitment to harnessing the promise of migration through capacity-building among member states for improved migration management.

The visit also paved the way for future collaboration in the areas of immigration and border management, including strengthening the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Malawi.

The study visit was facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with the support of the World Bank.

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For media requests: François-Xavier Ada-Affana at fadaaffana@iom.int.