The Ghana Prisons Service has reiterated an upward adjustment in the feeding fee from GH¢1.80 pesewas a day per prisoner to enable the Service to give inmates balanced and nutritious meals.
The Service indicated that given the current economic situation in
the country, which had led to escalating food prices, the GH¢1.80 per
prisoner per day was inadequate.
The Assistant Director of
Prison in charge of the Akuse Local Prisons, ADP Ousmane Tasembedo made
the appeal when the Customs Ladies Club, a club of the female employees
of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at the Tema
Collection donated some food and non items to the Akuse Local Prison in
the Eastern Region as part of the Easter celebrations on Wednesday,
March 27, 2024.
The Customs Ladies Club, with support from the
Tema Sector Commander, Assistant Commissioner Christiana Odi Adjei
presented 20 cartons of fish, three bags of 50kg flour, six bags of 50
kg sugar, 24 bags of 25 kg rice, six bags of gari, a bag each of corn,
groundnut, beans and pepper.
The rest were 10 boxes of sanitary
pads, four boxes of soap, six bags of washing powder, six bags of
washing powder, five sets of toilet seats, ten bags of toilet rolls, and
cartons of beverages
ADP Tasembedo said the Akuse Local prison, aside inadequate feeding, the facility was confronted with congestion
He
said the Akuse Local Prison was designed to accommodate 60 male inmates
but currently house 250 inmates in the male section and 16 inmates in
the female section, adding that the facility was congested and would
require an expansion so the inmates can have some respite.
ADP
Tasembedo however believes the government cannot do it alone, hence
there was a need for individuals, organisations, religious groups, among
others, to help with any support.
“But for such gestures like
what you have done today, the situation would have been very precarious
in the prisons’” he said while receiving the items from the President of
the Customs Ladies Club, Rachael Jacintha Pyne.
ADP Tasembedo
said to supplement the feeding of the inmates, the Prison authority in
Akuse have taken advantage of the agriculture potential of the area and
have embarked on rice and vegetable farming.
He said inmates of
the Akuse prisons were able to harvest between 300 and 400 bags of rice
from a 12 hectares farm adding that some of the produce from their farm
was sent to Prison Headquarters for redistribution to about 15 other
prison facilities throughout the country.
Gratitude
The
Assistant Director of Prison in charge of the Female section of the
Female Prison at Akuse, ADP Joyce Annor-Owusu also added her voice to
the feeding challenges, stressing that with the current skyrocketing of
food prices, authorities were unable to buy food products at contract
prices.
She was particularly grateful to Tema Customs Ladies of
the Customs Division of the GRA adding that such gestures from
philanthropic individuals and organisations went a long way to fill the
gaps.
She said through the support of some philanthropic
individuals and organisation the facility offers skills training in
bakery, farming, tailoring among others which have gone a long way to
empower the inmates to leave a meaningful life after they have been
released
ADP Annor-Owusu appealed for support to secure
submersible pumps to be fitted on an existing borehole at the facility
to improve supply for the inmates.
The President of the Customs
Ladies Club, Rachael Jacintha Pyne said the donation was to make the
inmates enjoy the Easter festivities adding that the love for Christ
affects all humankind and donating to the prisoners was to show love to
them.
She urged the inmates not to lose hope but take advantage
of the skills programmes being offered to enable them to integrate into
society after their release
via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/review-feeding-grant-for-prisoners-prisons-service.html
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