The Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has commissioned six newly installed electronic gates (e-Gates) at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to enhance processing time of passengers, travelling documents and credentials.
The e-Gates was a collaboration between the government of Ghana, through the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Aviation Authority, Ghana Airports Company Limited, and Margins Group.
During the unveiling ceremony at the arrival hall of the KIA yesterday, Vice President Bawumia said the e-gates would improve border security and management at the airport, land, and sea entry points.
The facility, he said, would also curb fraud, smuggling and undesirable persons from entering the country.
The e-gates leverage innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, biometrics, and real-time data processing to create a frictionless and secure travel experience and with the Ghana Card you can now enter Ghana with ease.
“This is a vision that has taken four years to conceptualise, design, build and implement,” Dr Bawumia stated.
He said the technology leveraged the comprehensive identity framework integrating biometric data, digital data, addresses and personal identities into a secure platform.
He said the Ghana Card was recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICOWA) headquartered in Montreal, Canada as a valid e-passport card and since this recognition, Ghanaians had been able to travel to Ghana across 197 countries and accessing over 44,000 airports worldwide with just the Ghana Card.
Building on this foundation, he said, the Ghana Immigration Service, in partnership with the Margins Group, developed an intelligent border control system.
Dr Bawumia said the global travel landscape was evolving radically, with innovations such as biometric e-gates and digital travel credentials becoming the new standard.
“For example, the United Kingdom has begun trials of facial biometric e-gates that allow travellers to pass through immigration without presenting physical passports,” the Vice President said.
The Vice President said Ghana had embraced those global advancements, integrating biometric verification and digital travel credential technologies into a single platform.
“This dual capability positions Ghana as a pioneer in intelligent border control, aligning with global standards, while placing us ahead of many advanced countries at the moment,” he said.
The Vice President said with the ability to facilitate e-vices and a fully digital travel process, Ghana was now prepared for the future of border management.
These advancements, he said, reflected the country’s readiness for the fourth and fifth industrial revolution, ensuring adaptability to future innovations.
Mr Kwame Asuah Takyi, the Comptroller General, Ghana Immigration Service, in his welcome remarks, said the e-gates would improve efficiency of border management system and modernise the operations of the airport. —GNA
