The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, has called for investment in prison industries and vocational training to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society.
Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, she outlined plans to establish industrial facilities at Nsawam to equip inmates with practical skills and prepare them for life after prison.
According to her, existing industries within the prisons are too small to support large-scale production, hence the need for a dedicated facility for industrial activities.
“Our industries and they are small so what we have done is that, as a service, we want to get a prison that is specifically for industries”, she said.
She said the Service has secured land at Nsawam and intends to begin with tailoring, including the sewing of security uniforms, as well as manufacturing and refurbishing furniture such as chairs and tables.
Madam Baffoe-Bonnie disclosed that, with the support of the sector minister, the Service has secured a 30 per cent share of Ghana Education Service contracts for sewing and carpentry.
However, she noted that the lack of factories and the necessary production facilities remains a major obstacle to fulfilling the contracts.
She therefore appealed to the relevant authorities to provide the Service with the resources, logistics and infrastructure needed to establish the industries and expand vocational training opportunities for inmates.
She stressed that the Service was ready to deliver on its mandate but required the necessary support to make a meaningful impact on rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.
“We’ll respectfully add that, like we have said, resource us to deliver. Because we are ready and with the necessary support and logistics that will go a very long way to ensure that we are measuring our impact”, she said.
Source: Abigail Ekua Arhin
