Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has called on private sector stakeholders to partner with the Ghana Prisons Service to scale up agricultural initiatives and enhance rehabilitation efforts within the country’s correctional facilities.
He noted that inmates will be engaged in cultivating the Service’s arable lands, a move aimed at providing food for prison inmates while generating revenue to support prison operations.
The Minister also revealed plans to establish an industrial hub within the prison system to create income-generating opportunities for inmates as part of their reformation process.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the clergy in Kumasi on Thursday, April 3, he encouraged religious groups and institutions to join the government’s efforts in transforming the lives of inmates.
“We are calling for partnerships in two key areas. First, in prison agriculture—we have vast arable lands and basic facilities, but we lack the capacity to cultivate them. Out of 14,000 inmates, only about 8% are currently involved in farming, which is not enough,” he explained.
He added, “We welcome partnerships with churches and private entities to mechanize farming activities using the limited inmate workforce available. With the right machinery and collaboration, we can make a real impact.”
In addition to agricultural development, the minister announced the introduction of technology in prisons to curb drug trafficking within the facilities.
“The Prisons Service plays a vital role in rehabilitating offenders and reintegrating them into society, but it faces significant hurdles. Our facilities, originally designed for just 9,945 inmates, now hold over 14,000, stretching our resources. It is shameful to say that we do not even have X-ray scanners in our prison service.
“As a result, our prisons have become centres for drug trafficking because those who go in and out are not properly searched. There have to be proper X-ray scanners so that as people walk in, we will know what they are carrying in and out. To solve this, we are trying to introduce technology by installing scanners and cameras across the prison sector to monitor inmate activities effectively,” he stated.
