Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq), Director General of Prisons“Your Excellency, in addition to modernization and reformation, we want to place Agric as our priority and to contribute wholly to the food basket and therefore food security of the nation.”-Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq), Director General of Prisons.
Beyond the Safe custody, Reformation and Welfare of prisoners, the Officer-in-Charge of the Manhyia Palace based correctional facility; thus the Manhyia Local Prison, Deputy Director of Prisons Hannah Hilda Ewoame, has gone beyond the normal routine to innovate a poultry farm venture, a project rapidly transforming not just the institution’s food/protein supply, but also the lives and future of the inmates involved.
Revamped barely a month ago the initiative has grown from a modest coop to a bustling operation housing over 100 broilers. Its primary goal is to support ration, practical Agric training, and foster rehabilitation that will transcend into, and contribute to the prison’s sustainability drive.
According to the Officer-In-Charge of the Prison facility, the idea was born from the need to address multiple challenges; chief of them being inmates training; and the need to reduce idleness, equip inmates with workable skills after serving their sentence, improve nutrition within the facility, and generate some internal revenue to support other rehabilitation programs and also achieve the dream of the Director General of Prisons’ ‘Kitchen Support Initiative’ which seeks to enhance and sustain dietary protein.
INMATES TRAINING
Under the supervision of dedicated prison agricultural officers, namely Chief Officer Richard Amewu, Sgt Christian Oteng Boakye, Sgt Joseph Wutisman and 2CO Anthony Boampong the participants take responsibility for the daily care of the birds. Presently, there are five (5) inmates selected for the program and are made to undergo basic training in modern poultry husbandry. They learn about breed selection, feeding routine, disease prevention, biosecurity measures, and basic coop maintenance
Unilaterally, the inmates believe they have been given both a challenge and a purpose that has given their lives a meaning. ” We are grateful to Mamaga and the Agric Officers for this opportunity not only to work here but also the training they are taking us through; and we promise to take it up when we go home.” Sly stated. (not his real name). The inmates believe life will be far better outside with the skills acquired.
DDP Ewoame reiterates that, there have been tremendous changes in the inmates assigned to the poultry farm and believes the inmates have been able to develop responsibility, patience, and a strong work ethic. The first ever female Officer-in-Charge of the Manhyia Local Prison believes that, caring for livestock fosters empathy and discipline. The inmates are not just learning to tender chickens; they are relearning how to contribute positively to the prison’s community and life after.
AGRIC OFFICERS
The poultry farm project also fosters a sense of all hands-on desk and shared achievement. The success of the farm is a point of pride for both the staff and inmates involved. The DDP Hannah Hilda Ewoame’s administration is working tirelessly to bring on board all officers with formal and non-formal Agric educational backgrounds to support the farm with their experience and expertise to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture).
CALL TO ACTION
The Manhyia Local Prison’s poultry farm stands as a testament to the potential innovative approaches of the Director General of Prisons to whip up Agric interest within all the correctional facilities in Ghana. It demonstrates that rehabilitation can take root in unexpected places, nurtured not just by reformation, but by the practical aspect that brings out the total best in the inmates. For the inmates involved, it is more than a farm; it’s a feathered pathway towards a second chance.
Going forward, the Manhyia Local Prison’s administration plans to expand the venture by adding up other sectors such as fish farming and a kitchen support garden. Discussions are underway to potentially establish partnerships with private individuals, businesses to help with the expansion by supporting with funds and logistics.
The writer is a Development Communicator and a Pubic Relations Specialist with the Ashanti Regional Prisons Public Relations Unit and can be reached on +233249542342/ [email protected]
