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Ghana Prisons Service launches entrepreneurship, innovation training programme for inmates
Hon. Ambrose Dery, Minister for Interior launching the programme.
As part of making inmates in the prisons productive in society when discharged, the Ghana Prisons Service has launched National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Training Programme (NEIP) at the Prisons Headquarters in Accra on Wednesday.
Dubbed “Entrepreneurship for Restoration Programme”, the partnership between the Ghana Prisons Service and NEIP would provide skills in various light manufacturing areas and entrepreneurship to inmates and Prison Officers.
The Director-General of Ghana Prisons Service, Mr. Isaac K. Egyir, in a remark said that the programme was a major intervention in the rehabilitation drive of the Service.
He noted that, “the partnership programme answers partly, the call by the Minister of Interior on the need for the service to prioritise the reformation and rehabilitation needs of inmates.”
He said it would serve as an intervention to rehabilitate inmates to ensure public safety through the acquisition of vocational skills for the sustainability of inmates when they were set free.
“The training programmes under this intervention have been purposely structured in a way that inmates who benefit and are certified to be competent in particular skill sets, would be given “starter packs” upon discharge from prison,” he said.
These “starter packs”, are intended to set them up on a path to a self-sustaining and income generating enterprise, while inmates who have more time to do in prison would also be given similar packages to enable them to ply their skills in prison.
Mr. Egyir commended the Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP)Mr. Kofi Ofosu Nkansah for finding the inmates worthy beneficiaries of this training.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery, who launched the “Entrepreneurship for Restoration” programme said the training was expected to give a significant boost to efforts already made by the Ghana Prisons Service to provide rehabilitation programmes for inmates.
Considering the nature of the programme, he noted that on a broader scale, the inmates who benefitted from the training would also be contributing towards Ghana’s long-term strategic vision of consolidating its middle-income status and further building an industry-driven economy.
The training modules under the programme are soap and detergent making, juice processing, grain and cereals packaging, preparation of yoghurt, making of cosmetics among other skills tailored to meet the needs of inmates.
By ASP Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
