Banjul Airport: What Biometric Border Checks Mean for Arriving Travellers

Passengers landing at Banjul International Airport go through a technology-supported border process that collects biometric and passport data, but the Gambia Immigration Department says the decision to admit or refuse a traveller still rests with authorised Gambian immigration officers. Public debate about the airport's technology contract has focused largely on a passenger fee attached to the arrangement.

Key facts

• Arriving passengers must complete disembarkation procedures and present the necessary travel documents
• Profiling and enrolment run through the Integrated Immigration Control System
• The system captures fingerprints, iris scans and passport data-page information
• Kiosks are available for biometric-passport holders, and electronic gates are used in the departure process
• Entry and departure decisions remain with authorised Gambian immigration officers

What happens when you arrive?

According to the Gambia Immigration Department, arriving passengers must complete disembarkation procedures, present the necessary travel documents and undergo profiling and enrolment through the Integrated Immigration Control System. The department says the system captures fingerprints, iris scans and passport data-page information.

The department also refers to kiosks for biometric-passport holders and electronic gates used in the departure process. These technologies support immigration procedures by helping to verify identities and process travellers.

Who decides whether you can enter?

Decisions on entry and departure remain the responsibility of authorised Gambian immigration officers, the Gambia Immigration Department says. Cameras do not decide who enters the country, electronic gates do not make immigration policy, and a private contractor does not acquire public powers simply because it supplies or maintains the equipment being used.

Several institutions perform different functions at the airport: immigration officers decide entry and departure under Gambian law, aviation authorities oversee airport and aviation matters within their legal mandates, finance and treasury institutions manage public revenue, and audit bodies examine records and controls. Airlines also run their own check-in and security procedures and provide passenger information as required under applicable regulations.

What does the technology contractor do?

A 2022 National Audit Office management letter describes a contract for the administration and management of immigration-security services at Banjul International Airport, and also reviewed the security-fee mechanism used to finance the arrangement during the period under audit.

On its services page, Securiport describes a support model covering system implementation, training, maintenance and technical assistance to government clients. The company states that governments operate the installed systems and retain ownership of their data and decryption keys. Based on these public records, its role was to provide and support technology and related services, while public functions remained with Gambian institutions.

Does a change to the passenger fee mean the system has stopped?

A government may change how a fee is collected, alter the account into which it is paid or decide to include it in an airline ticket. Such changes alone do not prove that the supporting technology has stopped operating. The status of any service can only be confirmed through current government records and official operational reports.

What this means for travellers

Passengers using Banjul International Airport should expect biometric enrolment and passport scanning on arrival, and to present the necessary travel documents at disembarkation. Travellers with biometric passports can use kiosks, and electronic gates form part of the departure process.

What remains unclear

The available sources do not provide a current detailed list of all devices, interfaces, operating locations or service obligations, and they do not include the full current contract, any publicly available renewal or termination notice, a current government inventory of equipment or a recent service-acceptance report. It would therefore be premature to publish a definitive list of all technology currently operating at the airport or to state the exact duration of every supplier obligation.

Any authoritative update should come from the responsible Gambian institution and clearly distinguish current operations from the historical period covered by previous audits.