By Daniel Adu Darko, GNA
Accra, Oct. 12, GNA – Mrs Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, has appealed to the public to support efforts to improve conditions in the country’s prisons.
Mrs Baffoe-Bonnie suggested that a small monthly contribution from citizens could make a big difference in the prison service.
Speaking at the Ghana Women Awards 2025 ceremony in Accra, where she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her trailblazing leadership, Mrs Baffoe-Bonnie said the Service was set to launch a sponsorship initiative dubbed the “Prisons Sustainability Support System” to address long-standing challenges within the correctional system.
“In the days ahead, we will come to your doorsteps. We have come up with a Prisons Sustainability Support System, and by our calculations, we are not asking for much. All we are saying is that if half of the population of this country gives us a cedi a month, we will get not less than ten million cedis and
can make the conditions of our prisons better,” she said.
Mrs Baffoe-Bonnie, who made history as the first woman to lead the Ghana Prisons Service, said her vision was to leave behind a modernised, humane, and accountable prison system that prioritises the welfare of officers, staff, and inmates alike.
The Ghana Prisons Service plays a crucial role in the criminal justice system, ensuring the safe custody, reformation, and rehabilitation of convicted persons. However, the Service continues to grapple with inadequate funding, overcrowding, and limited social support, challenges that affect its efficiency and ability to reform inmates.
The call for citizen participation, she said, was to promote a shared responsibility in maintaining a humane and effective correctional system that contributed positively to national security and development.
Mr. Samuel Afriyie Owusu, Head of Research and Communication for the Ghana Women Awards, commended Mrs Baffoe-Bonnie for her consistency and professionalism, noting that she previously won the Outstanding Female Prisons Service Personnel Award in 2013.
He also congratulated Deputy Director of Prisons (Mrs.) Millicent Owusu, Director of Welfare at the Ghana Prisons Service, for winning the Outstanding Female Prisons Service Personnel award at this year’s event.
The Ghana Women Awards celebrates the achievements of women who have excelled in various sectors and made significant contributions to national development.
GNA
Christian Akorlie