By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Tema, July 17, GNA – Mr Yakubu Faharudeen, former General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), has urged that Ghana’s proposed Community Service Bill should prioritise agriculture and environmental sanitation to promote rehabilitation, national development and civic responsibility.
The proposal follows the introduction of the Community Service Bill, which is expected to provide eligible offenders with the opportunity to undertake supervised community service instead of serving custodial sentences for specified offences.
Mr Faharudeen told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the passage of the Bill was a progressive and humane reform that could strengthen Ghana’s justice system by balancing accountability with rehabilitation, skills development and national development.
He said community service would provide eligible offenders with the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to society while developing discipline, responsibility and practical skills, adding that the initiative offered a more productive alternative to custodial sentences in cases where imprisonment might not effectively support rehabilitation.
Mr Faharudeen said a significant proportion of community service should be directed towards the agricultural sector because of its importance to the country’s economy and food security.
He said participants should be engaged in cultivating public farms, supporting afforestation and irrigation projects, maintaining government agricultural estates and receiving structured training in modern farming methods.
He explained that such programmes would not only contribute to increased food production but also equip participants with employable skills that could improve their chances of securing sustainable livelihoods after completing their community service.
Mr Faharudeen also called for community service to include sanitation and environmental activities such as desilting drains, cleaning markets, maintaining public spaces, planting trees and participating in environmental conservation programmes that directly benefit communities across the country.
He said involving participants in such activities would help improve environmental cleanliness, promote civic responsibility and encourage respect for public property.
Mr Faharudeen appealed for a careful review of the sentences of certain categories of prisoners, particularly those convicted of minor and non-violent offences.
He suggested that, where appropriate and subject to judicial oversight, eligible inmates should be considered for the conversion of custodial sentences into structured community service.
He said such a measure would help reduce congestion in the country’s prisons while promoting rehabilitation and supporting the productive reintegration of offenders into society.
The former PNC General Secretary stressed that the success of the Community Service Bill would depend on effective supervision, proper training and strong collaboration among the Judiciary, the Ghana Prisons Service, local authorities and other relevant state institutions.
He added that clear operational guidelines, adequate monitoring and sustained public education would be essential to ensure that the programme achieved its intended objectives and maintained public confidence.
Mr Faharudeen described the Bill as an investment in people, productivity and national wealth and urged all Ghanaians to support its implementation.
He said a well-managed community service programme had the potential to create a justice system that punished fairly, rehabilitated effectively and enabled offenders to contribute positively to national development while giving them the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Audrey Dekalu
17 July 2026
Reporter: Elizabeth Larkwor Baah, GNA
Email: [email protected]
Caption: TM052 Social PNC Bill Pic 1