Interior Minister Hands Over Toyota Land Cruiser to Boost Ghana Prisons Service Operations

The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving security and operational conditions within Ghana’s prisons. Speaking during a working visit to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, he emphasized that the ministry is collaborating with security agencies and private partners to strengthen surveillance, upgrade facilities, and expand rehabilitation programmes across the prison service.

The Minister explained that these reforms are necessary due to persistent security risks, overcrowding, and infrastructure challenges that threaten safe custody and effective rehabilitation of inmates.

During the visit, the Eastern Regional Commander, DDP Patrick Thomas Seidu, briefed the Minister on ongoing projects and logistical difficulties confronting both officers and inmates. The prison, built in 1956 and expanded under a project initiated in 2015, continues to face significant infrastructure deficits and resource shortages.

Among ongoing projects, an 800-capacity remand block is under construction, along with new accommodation units for officers. While housing for senior officers has been completed, about three-quarters of personnel still live outside the barracks, complicating mobilisation during emergencies. A 5,000-capacity poultry initiative is also underway, with 1,000 broilers being prepared for the Christmas season.

Commander Seidu highlighted further challenges, including inadequate operational vehicles, a broken ambulance, two buses under repair, and insufficient medical equipment at the station’s accredited hospital. Delays in National Health Insurance reimbursements and exclusion of some medications from the scheme add further strain. He also appealed for the installation of jammers and security cameras, improved digital records, retooling of the education unit, and additional resources to complete the remand block and strengthen operations.

In response, Minister Muntaka Mubarak assured that the government is prioritizing prison security nationwide. He noted that the National Signals Bureau is collaborating with the ministry to install security cameras, citing the rise in foreign inmates and regional security concerns. He also highlighted the ongoing prison industrialisation programme, which aims to establish industries within facilities to equip inmates with employable skills. The Minister further referenced the community service framework and the new Parole Bill, which would allow disciplined inmates engaged in productive work to earn reduced sentences.

As part of the visit, Minister Mubarak handed over a new Toyota Land Cruiser to the Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs Patience Baffoe-Bonnie. The vehicle, donated by a private company through the government, is intended to support administrative and operational duties across the Service.

Receiving the vehicle, Mrs Baffoe-Bonnie expressed gratitude to the government and its partners, noting that the donation will enhance mobility and strengthen supervision across prison stations. She reiterated that the Ghana Prisons Service remains committed to its mandate despite existing challenges.

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