On Wednesday (13), the Minister of the Interior, Pascoal Ronda, inaugurated the new electronic gates (e-Gate) at Maputo International Airport, in southern Mozambique, which will provide greater flexibility in passenger service, prevention and the fight against organised and transnational crime, reported the Agência de Informação de Moçambique (AIM).
According to the government official, ‘the equipment will also make it possible to identify cases of individuals involved or implicated in cross-border crimes or with a criminal record, or if the person is wanted in another country’.
Ronda explained that the new gates are designed to control passengers and contain a chip specially developed for the security system that allows passengers to move through without any disturbance, i.e. direct intervention by officials from the National Migration Service (SENAMI).
‘The passport itself contains data that goes into the data field to certify who this person is, if they are wanted in another country, if they have had a history that prevents them from travelling. This equipment is a reinforcement of our security capacity,’ he said.
In his speech, the minister emphasised that the government installed the equipment taking into account the need to strengthen security measures, and that the process involved a partnership with a German company that produces and prints identification documents and implements security systems.
The airport receives 2,784 flights a year, corresponding to 58 flights a week. In terms of passenger traffic, 270,427 national and foreign travellers pass through each year, of which 137,582 enter and 132,845 leave.
‘The officials only intervene in cases where the national citizen is refused exit or the system is inactive,’ said Ronda, adding that “the electronic gate contributes to speeding up service, avoiding human and other errors,” he said.
For his part, the representative of the Mozambique Airports Company (ADM.EP), Saíde Júnior, emphasised that security is of great importance for aviation in general, adding that the electronic gate also contributes to the greater credibility of Mozambican airports on the African continent.
‘We are committed to developing the aviation sector at the highest level, prioritising the allocation of resources in order to keep up with global dynamics and better serve passengers,’ said Júnior.
