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Systems and standards

API and PNR in Africa

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 9 sources

Short answer

Advance Passenger Information (API) is the identity data an airline sends to border authorities before a flight lands. Passenger Name Record (PNR) data is the booking record. UN Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017) and 2482 (2019) make collecting, sharing and analysing both mandatory for all Member States 3. In Africa, UN records show programme agreements with Botswana in 2021 and The Gambia in 2022 5,6 and assessment missions in Ghana, Sudan, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire and Botswana 3,7.
Main UN rule
Resolution 2396, adopted 21 December 2017 2
API duty
States shall require airlines operating in their territories to provide API 1
PNR duty
States shall develop the capability to collect, process and analyse PNR data 1
UN support programme
Countering Terrorist Travel Programme, launched 7 May 2019 4
Programme reach
91 Member States, 69 receive full technical assistance packages 4
UN software
goTravel, deployed free of charge 4

What API and PNR mean

API is passenger identity data that airlines pass to the state before arrival. Resolution 2396 says Member States shall require airlines operating in their territories to provide API to national authorities 1.

PNR is the airline booking record. The same resolution says States shall develop the capability to collect, process and analyse PNR data 1.

UN counter-terrorism staff say the data is used to identify, detect and intercept foreign terrorist fighters and serious criminals crossing borders 3.

The rules behind the data

  • UN Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017) and 2482 (2019) together make API and PNR collection mandatory for all Member States, according to CTED in May 2020 3.
  • Resolution 2396 was adopted on 21 December 2017 under the subject Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts 2.
  • The press release on 2396 notes the ICAO standard on API systems, in effect from 23 October 2017 1.
  • A 2018 United States paper to an ICAO conference cited Standard 9.5 of Annex 9 on API and argued that a PNR Standard still needed to be developed 8.

How the UN helps states build it

The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism leads the Countering Terrorist Travel Programme with CTED, UNODC, ICAO, UNOICT, INTERPOL and IOM. It launched on 7 May 2019 4.

The programme offers help to draft laws on how passenger data is collected, used, retained and shared, help to set up a Passenger Information Unit, and the goTravel software at no charge 4.

A Passenger Information Unit checks travellers against national and international watchlists, including INTERPOL's, and uses risk indicators to find previously unknown threats 4.

African records in the UN programme

After each deep-dive, CTED and its partners draw up a national API and PNR roadmap for the State 7. The UN pages read for this site do not give the current status of each roadmap.

StateRecordDate
Botswana 5Memorandum of Agreement to license and deploy goTravel AIR. Botswana was 1 of 49 beneficiaries 518 October 2021 5
The Gambia 6Memorandum of Understanding on goTravel and API and PNR use, signed at UN Headquarters 66 September 2022 6
Cote d'Ivoire 7Virtual deep-dive assessment on API and PNR capacity 72 to 8 June 2020 7
Botswana 7Virtual deep-dive assessment on API and PNR capacity 714 to 17 July 2020 7
Ghana, Sudan and Togo 3CTED deep-dive missions, listed with the Philippines and Sri Lanka 3Listed by 14 May 2020 3

Related national moves

The Africa Visa Openness Index reports that Zambia is considering an electronic travel authorisation called an Advanced Passenger Information System, citing security. It gives no launch date 9. This is a travel authorisation for travellers and is not the same as airline API reporting.

Common questions

Is API mandatory for African states?

CTED says resolutions 2178, 2396 and 2482 make API and PNR collection mandatory for all UN Member States 3.

What is goTravel?

UNOCT describes goTravel as a software system for countries to collect and process passenger data, deployed free of charge 4.

Which African countries signed with the UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme?

UN records read for this page show Botswana on 18 October 2021 and The Gambia on 6 September 2022 5,6.

Is there an ICAO standard for PNR?

In 2018 a United States paper to ICAO said a PNR Standard still needed to be developed 8. This site has not confirmed the later adoption text.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].

Sources

  1. United Nations: Security Council Urges Strengthening of Measures to Counter Threats Posed by Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters, Adopting Resolution 2396 (2017) (December 2017)
  2. United Nations Security Council: Resolutions adopted by the Security Council in 2017 (undated)
  3. UN Counter-Terrorism Committee: CTED and the UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (14 May 2020)
  4. UN Office of Counter-Terrorism: Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (undated)
  5. UN Office of Counter-Terrorism: Remarks of Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, E-Signing Ceremony for MoA on the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme between the Republic of Botswana (18 October 2021)
  6. UN Office of Counter-Terrorism: The Republic of The Gambia and UNOCT sign an agreement to strengthen co-operation in preventing and countering terrorist travel and serious crimes (6 September 2022)
  7. UN Counter-Terrorism Committee: CTED leads two virtual deep-dive assessment missions to Cote d'Ivoire and Botswana (2020)
  8. ICAO, paper presented by the United States: PNR Standard(s), HLCAS/2-WP/29 (9 November 2018)
  9. Africa Visa Openness Index: Electronic Travel Authorisations: a visa by another name? (2025 report, published 2026)

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