The Church of Pentecost Builds Prison Reformation Center At Nsawam

The Church of Pentecost has handed over to the Ghana Prisons Service an Inmates Skills Acquisition and Reformation Centre in Nsawam, Eastern Region.

The Center will rehabilitate and reintegrate prisoners into society.

The 320-capacity fully furnished facility was handed over to the Ghana Prisons Service at a colourful ceremony at Ahodwo in the Nsawam-Adoagyire Municipality in the Eastern Region and was graced by the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo.

The reformation center has four dormitories, an infirmary, a visitors lounge with a shop, a fully furnished administration block with auxiliary offices, an ICT lab with computers and accessories, a tailoring workshop, a carpentry workshop, a chapel fully furnished with musical instruments, baptistry, kitchen with a dining hall, soccer pitch, and volleyball pitch, CCTV Installations, and other facilities.

The Chairman of the Church Of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Kwabena Nyamekye mentioned that the Nsawam Prison Reformation Centre is the second to be built by the church, after constructing a similar one at Ejura in the Ashanti Region in May 2021.

According to him, the construction of the all-male correctional center began two years ago and the project was supervised by the Projects Development and Estate Department of The Church of Pentecost General Headquarters.

He added that currently, two of such facilities are at various stages of completion at Damongo and Obuasi in the Savannah and Ashanti regions, respectively.

The chairman disclosed that the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons which was built to hold a total of 850 prisoners, is currently holding 3,187 prisoners, representing over 275% above the required capacity.

The Church of Pentecost took the initiative to partner with the Ghana Prisons Service to decongest Ghanaian prisons and provide better living conditions for prison inmates, Apostle Nyamekye stated.

He said the Ejura Prison camp project constructed last year by the church is already yielding some dividends. Currently, thirty-six (36) inmates, he noted, are being trained in different trades (Tailoring, Kente Weaving, Leatherworks, Carpentry, and Metalworks). A good number of the inmates, he added, have already been trained at the workshop and have since been discharged.

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, commended the Church of Pentecost for contributing their quota towards national development.

He said congestion of the various prisons is a major challenge confronting the Prisons Service and efforts are underway for his administration to address the challenge.

He indicated that his government will resource the Prison Service to help them deliver effectively.

On his part, the Director General of Ghana Prisons Service, Mr. Isaac Kofi Egyir said the project built by the Pentecost Church will help the service to transform and correct inmates.

He mentioned that the service is poised to grow enough food to feed the nation.

He, therefore, appealed to individuals and other benevolent organizations to come to their aid.