The Federal Government has strengthened the international authentication of Nigerian passports following the successful import of all the country’s Country Signing Certificate Authorities, CSCAs, into the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, Public Key Directory, PKD.
The development is expected to resolve passport authentication challenges experienced by some Nigerian passport holders at foreign border control points, while improving the seamless verification of the country’s travel documents across ICAO member states.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by its Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi.
According to the statement, the milestone was achieved under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Ministry of Interior led by Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
It stated that the official ceremony marking the successful import of Nigeria’s CSCAs into the ICAO Public Key Directory was held on Monday, July 13, 2026, at the ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada.
The statement said the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, led the exercise, which was undertaken to address passive authentication challenges encountered by some Nigerian passport holders at selected international border control points.
It explained that with the successful import of all Nigeria’s existing CSCAs into the ICAO Public Key Directory, a trusted chain of authentication had now been established, enabling Nigerian passports to be verified seamlessly by border control systems in all ICAO PKD member states.
According to the Service, the achievement represents another milestone in its ongoing investment in secure digital identity management and enhanced international border security cooperation.
The NIS said the initiative aligns with the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reinforces its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of Nigerian travel documents while promoting global interoperability.
It added that the successful integration into the ICAO Public Key Directory would facilitate smoother border clearance procedures for Nigerian passport holders and further strengthen international confidence in the country’s electronic passport system.