Minister of Interior-designate, Mohammed Muntanka Mubarak
The Minister of Interior-designate, Mohammed Muntanka Mubarak, has expressed concerns about the poor conditions of the country’s prisons, particularly the low feeding allowances for inmates.
Speaking during his vetting in Parliament on Friday, January 24, 2025, he stressed the need to improve conditions in the prisons by learning from international models.
He pointed to Kenya as an example, where inmates contribute to the economy through factory work within the prisons.
“When you go to Kenya, every number plate that you see on a car is coming from the inmates because they give opportunity for industry to build these factories within the prison. It serves as a multi-purpose training of inmates which gives them skills and income. And obviously because they are prisoners, the income or the payments that are made are not as if the factory was set up outside, this is an area that we need to look at”, he noted.
The Member of Parliament of Asawase also bemoaned the meagre feeding fee for prisoners which is currently pegged at GH¢1.80 pesewas.
He explained that the amount is insufficient to maintain proper health for inmates.
“Even cats and dogs in our houses, how much food do we give them? We feed our prisoners with one GH¢1.80 and expect them to remain healthy, free from communicable diseases, and reformed. No, we are putting them in an environment where they are more likely to come out more criminal than when they went in”, he stated.
The Ghana Prisons Service has emphasised the need for an increase in the feeding fee for prisoners to enable the provision of balanced and nutritious meals. However, the fee has yet to be reviewed.
JKB/EK
Watch as Muntaka Mubarak faces vetting committee as Minister of Interior-designate