MP Freda Prempeh presenting the tricycle
DUAYAW NKWANTA Prison Camp at Tano North District of the Brong-Ahafo Region where prisoners are relocated to serve their last prison terms is facing a lot of challenges.
Bamboos are now being used to fence the prison yard instead of barbed wires, water supply to both officers and inmates was inadequate, lack of proper infirmary to take care of sick prisoners, bad road leading to the prison yard, unhygienic toilet facility shared by both inmates and officers and overcrowding.
This came to light when Member of Parliament for Tano North, Freda Prempeh visited the facility recently to donate a motor-tricycle and one hundred pair of boots and sandals to both the prisons officers and the inmates. The 100 sandals for the inmates, was to protect them in their farming activities at the camp. Duayaw Nkwanta Prison camp is noted for large farm plantation in crops such as oil palm, maize and vegetables.
Addressing them before handing over the items, Madam Freda Prempeh who was once a prisons officer said she was aware of the challenges the officers face in their daily duties hence the gesture. She advised the officers to be diligent and professional in their duties despite the challenges assuring them of sending their concerns to parliament for the appropriate actions to be taken.
According to her, one of the necessary conditions that needs to be changed to make the prisons better is to change the name of the institution from Ghana Prison Service to Ghana Reformation Centre to reflect the core mandate of the institution which is to reform prisoners and give them vocational training so that after serving their terms, they could go back and lead meaningful lives. She disclosed that the issue had been tabled already and was referred to the Prisons Council for technical study.
Receiving the items, the prison commander, Assistance Director of Prisons, John Aseidu Benayee was thankful for the items and said they would be put to good use. The motor-tricycle, he said, would help them cart palm fruits from the farms to the yard for oil palm extraction. He said currently there are 136 inmates in the prison which was originally built to accommodate only 120 prisoners.
He later led the MP to inspect the prison facilities like the kitchen, senior officers’ broken down wooden-offices,  a broken down bamboo fence and the congested building which she promised to sought help for.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Duayaw Nkwanta