Zetes has won a contract from the Chadian government to complete an enrolment and identification project of its military staff.  Zetes’ technology will be used to create a new database with biometric and biographical data relating to troops, enabling more effective personnel management. The solution is being implemented within the administrative departments of the Ministry of Defence and army.

Zetes says this is the first contract it has received from the Republic of Chad. The project, comprising a large-scale operation covering the entire national territory, began in May 2012. Chadian authorities estimate they will subsequently complete registrations of around 35,000 active Ministry of Defence personnel.

Zetes is responsible for every phase of project execution together with local ID partner Group Royal Chad. The ID specialist collects biometric and biographical data from Chadian soldiers then centralises and de-duplicates the data using AFIS technology. Following the registration process, each soldier is presented with a secure card, containing photograph and fingerprint information processed within a bar code.  The first ID cards to result from the project will be in circulation from the third quarter of 2012.

“This project provides another opportunity for Zetes to apply its expertise to people identification,” says Alain Wirtz, CEO, Zetes. “It also strengthens our position on the African continent, where the need to biometrically register and identify civil servants, military staff and other public sector workers is growing. Illustrating this trend, Zetes has already completed similar projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. The solutions we offer allow governments to build reliable people databases, which are essential for effective HR management.”