Sunyani: The Sunyani Central Prison has embarked on a large-scale farming project aimed at providing sufficient and nutritious meals to improve the overall welfare of its inmates.
According to Ghana News Agency, Superintendent Dennis Peasah, the Bono Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, stated that the initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Thompson Otsyokpo, Bono Regional Prisons Commander, involves both officers and inmates in its execution. During an interview in Sunyani, Supt Peasah shared, "We have cleared, ploughed, and transformed a once-dense forest around the prisons into productive farmland for the project."
The farming project includes the cultivation of maize, cabbage, oil palm plantation, and other crops. Supt Peasah emphasized that the initiative has fostered teamwork, resilience, and responsibility among the inmates as they work alongside officers in planting and maintaining the crops.
He further explained that the project is a complement to the 'Director General's Kitchen initiative,' which requires all prison facilities to be self-reliant in feeding inmates. "By growing our own food, we will be able to improve the value of meals for the inmates," Supt Peasah noted.
Additionally, the project aims to reduce the operational costs of the prison while providing inmates with practical agricultural skills. This effort is also part of a broader strategy to support the rehabilitation and successful reintegration of inmates into society after they have completed their sentences.
