Zimbabwe has introduced a new “online border management system” (OBMS) with the installation of 14 electronic gates (e-gates) at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
The system automates immigration procedures, reducing the need for physical human intervention at entry and exit points. Inspired by Dubai’s Smart Gates platform, the e-gates allow travelers with biometric e-passports to scan their documents and provide fingerprint or facial data for quick, contactless passage.
The OBMS aims to streamline border processes, decrease congestion, and improve security by curbing illegal activities such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering.
“We have set up 14 lanes so far at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport,” said Ambassador Raphael Faranisi, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage. “We are also going to set up the system at Victoria Falls and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo international airports, as well as at the Beitbridge Border Post.”
The news of this deployment follows an ID Tech report earlier this year that Zimbabwe was set to become the first country in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to introduce a biometric border control system that will use fingerprint and iris recognition to automate immigration processes at key entry points.
The move may be indicative of growing interest in biometric technology in the country. The city of Bulawayo recently implemented a new AI-powered security system as part of its Smart City policing initiative.
That project – a collaboration between local police, the Bulawayo Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ), and security agency Safeguard – includes the installation of CCTV cameras with facial recognition, night vision, and vehicle plate reading capabilities across the central business district.
Source: The Sunday Mail
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October 16, 2024 – by Tony Bitzionis
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