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Ho convicts appeal for outright clemency as COVID-19 hits prisons
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Inmates at the Ho Central Prison have been agitating for an outright pardon from the government after three prisoners and six officers tested positive for COVID-19 sometime in July and earlier this month.
They insisted that their crimes did not warrant the death sentence and that they have served substantial time for their offences.
This prompted a medical team from the Ghana Prisons Headquarters in Accra to carry out a training programme recently for the inmates as well as the officers on ‘COVID-19 Risk Communication’ to allay their fears.
When contacted on Wednesday, however, DDP Andrews Dzokoto, Deputy Director of Prisons in-charge of the Volta Region said that the COVID-19 cases had all been treated and that there was currently no case of the virus at the prison.
He said that the initial cases which were recorded among two convicts were mind-boggling because they were not leaving the prison for any hard labour outside.
The third prisoner often went outside to work at the auto-mechanic base of the prison, DDP Dzokoto told The Spectator.
With regards to the officers, he said that some of them tested positive for the virus upon their return from leave.
According to him, some of the officers who tested positive for the virus were asymptomatic.
Now, officers who returned to work after their leave were quarantined and monitored for two weeks before they were allowed into the prison yard again, DDP Dzokoto said.
He disclosed that as soon as the cases were detected, the prison medical team linked up with the Volta Regional COVID-19 treatment centre, near Ho and another centre at Hohoe and their collaborative efforts yielded rapid and positive results.
DDP Dzokoto said that there were now 381 inmates at the Ho Central Prison, adding that, “We are still not admitting new convicts here.”
He told The Spectator that new convicts were now sent to the Kete Krachi Prison in the Oti Region.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Ho
Mr. Alban Sumani Kingsford Bagbin has announced private sector led initiative that will see “Visit Ghana” on the “front of jersey” of Sunderland Football Club for the 2026/2027 football season.
The “Visit Ghana” project is a special marketing drive that will have presence on the front of jersey of Sunderland Football Club during the English Premier League.
Under this initiative, Sunderland FC will have on the front of their jerseys, “Visit Ghana” as part of efforts to drive and promote tourism in Ghana.
“We are entering a formal engagement with them to put Visit Ghana on their jerseys and all paraphernalia.
“We have gone far with the discussions, and therefore they usually showing interest,” Mr. Bagbin stated this at the 37th sitting of Parliament.
Mr. Bagbin explained further that, the initiative is not being sponsored by Parliament, but by the private sector adding that, the project will boost tourism in Ghana.
“This is not being sponsored by parliament. Infact the main sponsor is from the private sector, we are leading under my canopy to get this done.
“The GFA, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Ministry of Finance have also been very supportive in this project,” he stated.
The Visit Ghana Front of Shirt Partnership with Sunderland, is expected to make Ghana the first African country to occupy such a position with a premier league club, and also offer global promotion for Ghana through EPL broadcasts, digital platforms and international media channels.
Motorists traveling between Accra and Kumasi are facing major delays today following a serious road crash at Birimso Bridge on the N6 Highway.
The accident, which involved a high-occupancy passenger bus, a loaded articulated truck, and a sedan, has completely blocked both lanes of the highway. As a result, all Accra-bound and Kumasi-bound traffic has been brought to a standstill.
Personnel from the Eastern South Regional Police MTTD, based in Kibi, are currently at the scene managing the situation.
To ease congestion, police have put in place temporary traffic diversions effective today.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
