President John Dramani Mahama has commended The Church of Pentecost for assisting the Ghana Prisons Service with three modern facilities at Ejura, Nsawam, and Damongo.
The Ghanaian leader was speaking when he commissioned a 300-capacity correctional centre built by the Church at Damango, the Savana regional capital, on Wednesday.
He said the event marks not only the opening of a correctional facility, but also the unveiling of a very powerful symbol of hope, redemption, and partnership for national renewal.
“This project demonstrates what can be achieved when the state, the Church, and the community come together in service to humanity.”
President Mahama said the church’s intervention “affirms a timeless truth that nation building is not the sole responsibility of government, but a collective moral endeavour of all who believe in the inherent dignity and potential of every human being”.
He reiterated the government’s decision to expand the Ghana Prisons Service’s contribution to national development by providing logistics to undertake large-scale farming, poultry, and vegetable production as part of a wider prison reform programme.
This, he said, will not only increase food production but generate income to sustain the GPS and equip inmates with practical skills for life after their incarceration.
“The Ghana Prisons Service will actively contribute to the 24-hour economy by running prison industries around the clock. This will include manufacturing, sewing school uniforms, producing furniture, agro-processing, and other goods, both for government use and for the open market,” he added.
He also announced an increase in the daily feeding allowance for inmates from GHS 1.80 to GHS 5.00 to provide better nutrition for those incarcerated.
”This is not charity, it is justice. It reflects our belief that dignity should never be dependent on one’s circumstances” he said while announcing that his government would provide the Damongo Camp Prisons with a 66-seater bus to facilitate staff movement.
The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr Eric Nyamekye, said their primary objective is to raise disciples of Christ, who would impact their world with righteousness. He added that the church regards the prison camps as a ‘Kingdom Project’, designed not only to save souls but also to foster the transformation of society.
WN/as/APA