News
Rehabilitating prison inmates through entrepreneurial skills
Equipping prison inmates with entrepreneurial skills while serving their various jail terms in safe custody is a prerequisite for building a resilient nation.
Looking at this in a wider perspective, the Ghana Prisons Service, over the years has contributed to rehabilitating inmates with skills acquisition that has helped them to be great entrepreneurs and accepted in their communities.
It is, therefore, worthy to note that, providing essential skills training to inmates has an impact in contributing to a law abiding and peaceful society and the nation at large.
On the flip side of the aforementioned scenario, the over 40 prison establishments in Ghana are tremendously investing in the lives of inmates to acquire entrepreneurial skills as part of the service’s mandate to reform them to be useful citizens in society when discharged.
Rehabilitation/ Reformation/ Reintegration
The Ghana Prisons Service has an important role on the lives and future of over 15,000 inmates made up of the youth who have acquired employable skills while serving their term.
The service has considered that, entrepreneurship is a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and social transformation where inmates ‘welfare is prioritised .
It is noteworthy that, when inmates are provided with employable skills, it helps to adequately prepare them for the job market where it also helps in fostering their reintegration into society as useful citizens.
Concerted Efforts/ Commitments by Ghana Prisons Service
The Ghana Prisons Service, under the able leadership of its Director-General, Mr. Isaac K. Egyir has constantly been putting measures in place and creating an enabling environment for inmates to become self-sufficient after serving their jail term.
With the commitment towards transformative programmes for inmates, the Ghana Prisons Service has created the platform to rebuild their lives through various skills acquisition ranging from agric, fish farming, soap and detergent making, juice processing and packaging, bamboo bags to shoe making.
Partnership/Collaboration
Recently, the Ghana Prisons Service together with the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) launched the “Entrepreneurship for Restoration Programme” aimed at providing skills to inmates and also for officers to acquire vocational skills.
The programme provided starter packs and kits needed for production, where the NEIP pledged to provide grants and loans as working capital for officers who have been trained and also give working capital to inmates for their set up, upon discharge from prison.
[The Writer is an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons,
Senior Correctional Centre, Accra-Ghana.]
By ASP Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
A former Sec ond Lady, Mrs Matilda Amis sah-Arthur, has called for urgent action to bridge literacy gaps among young girls in the country to advance gender equality.
She stressed that improving lit eracy among girls was essential not only for women’s empowerment but also for national development.
“Addressing the literacy gap is not a woman’s issue. It is a nation al necessity and, with the passing of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, 2024, Ghana is signalling that women belong in leadership, but leadership begins with a book,” she said.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur made the call at an event organised by the Ghana Library Authority (GLA) in Accra yesterday to mark Interna tional Women’s Day (IWD) on the theme: “Her Voice in Libraries: Women Transforming Literacy in Ghana.”
According to her, many girls in Ghana still drop out of school due to poverty, lack of mentorship and limited support systems, warning that without deliberate interven tions some risk becoming part of worrying national statistics.
The former Second Lady encouraged students, particularly girls, to see education not only as a tool for personal advancement but also as a means of empowering future generations.
“Don’t shy away from STEM and ICT subjects. Break into the male-dominated areas and bridge the digital divide,” she added.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur also called for stronger partnerships between men and women in advancing gen der equality, stressing that the issue should be viewed as a national development priority rather than solely a women’s concern.
“Gender equality is not a woman’s issue. It is a development issue. It requires partnership, respect and shared responsibility,” she said.
She further expressed opti mism that with the right support systems, every child, regardless of gender, could achieve their full potential.
In a remark, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Lydia Essuah, said that despite progress made in promoting gender equality in the education sector, challenges remained in ensuring progression, completion and quality learning outcomes for all learners.
She highlighted the important role of libraries in advancing liter acy and lifelong learning skills, and called for increased investment in library infrastructure and services to help build a knowledge-driven society.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Alhassan Ziblim Bentintiche, also under scored the importance of libraries in empowering young people, par ticularly girls, with access to books, digital resources and mentorship opportunities.
He disclosed plans to expand Ghana’s library infrastructure and services to particularly attract the youth and promote literacy.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Management of the Metro Mass Transit Limited has accused the government of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of pursuing what it describes as a “create, loot and share” agenda in the sale of portions of the Opera Square Bus Terminal to a private developer.
The Deputy Managing Director of the company, Haroun Apaw-Wiredu, raised the concerns while speaking to journalists at the Opera Square Bus Terminal in Accra on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
He indicated that the management of Metro Mass Transit would not tolerate any further unauthorized development at the terminal and would take steps to protect the property.
According to him, it would be wrong for a private developer to take control of state property for personal economic gain while the company and the public remain silent.
“How can we sit down and allow a private developer, just for his selfish economic gains, to capture state property for himself? No, we cannot sit down,” he stressed.
Mr Apaw Wiredu called on the public to resist what he described as attempts to take over state assets, adding that such actions would disadvantage ordinary citizens.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we must all stand up. We must all wake up. We must fight this level of brazen looting and attempts to milk the system at the expense of ordinary Ghanaians,” he indicated.
He explained that some individuals had been operating around the terminal for many years and alleged that the developer gained access to the land during the previous administration.
Mr Apaw Wiredu stressed that under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the company would pursue all legitimate means to protect the terminal from what he described as unlawful takeover.
He added that management would use every legal avenue available to defend the property and prevent any attempt to take control of the land without proper authorization.
By: Jacob Aggrey
