Zetes gets contract for The Gambian biometric passport and border control eGate

Zetes has announced that it has just been awarded a fifteen-year contract to create biometric passports for The Gambia.

According to the company, it is estimated that forty thousand passports will be produced each year under the subcontracting contract, shared with Africard. The first passports are expected to be delivered in December 2013.

Part of the country’s BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) project, this contract also includes biometric enrollment, as well as document personalization. It also encompasses delivery and installation of enrolment posts, to be built throughout The Gambian embassy buildings.

Zetes will also deliver an automated identity control eGate at the airport border. According to the company, this is the first time it has deployed this kind of technology.

“This is a strategic project for three key reasons. Firstly, the new personalisation site allows us to extend our coverage into West Africa with a physical presence,” Zetes CEO Alain WIrtz said. “Secondly, Gambia follows Senegal as another country where we will have installed next generation enrolment posts. Thirdly, this project combines two firsts for Zetes, the incorporation of iris recognition in a biometric passport and installation of our very first e-gate project. This project therefore represents an excellent showcase of all Zetes’ expertise and we are absolutely delighted with the trust placed in us both Africard and the Gambian authorities.”

Reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, it’s been known for some time that The Gambia was looking to introduce a biometric passport, though the contractor had either not been chosen yet, or was not disclosed.

Previously, the country introduced a biometric identification card, through its GAMBIS biometric identity management system, which has aimed to capture the biometrics of citizens in the West African country.

Senegal, which surrounds The Gambia, has also awarded the contract for its biometric visa project to Zetes.

Article Topics

border control  |  eGate  |  immigration  |  passports  |  The Gambia