The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (ESQ), has called for the release of funds meant for food for inmates.
According to her, food is a sensitive issue in prisons and is the main factor that can trigger riots if not solved.
Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, at the Public Accounts Committee on September 30, explained that although the official allocation is ₵1.80 per inmate per day, much of it goes to contractors who supply the food.
“The ₵1.80 in actual fact, is not the amount being used to feed the inmates because the food is supplied by contractors who also take their profit. So, practically we are feeding ₵1,” she noted.
She also stated that increment which had been approved by President John Dramani Mahama, has not yet taken effect.
“We proposed ₵10 Ghana cedis and we were granted ₵5. After the consultations, the president instructed that the amount should be increased to ₵5, and that an amount of ₵10 million supposed to cover the last quarter of the year should be released,” she pointed out.
She added that the approved funds have however not yet been released.
The Director-General stressed that inadequate feeding not only affects health but also poses a security threat.
“As the directorate we find this very serious because once the feeding regime is wrong, it has a rippling effect on health and every other thing,” she said.
She further stated, “We also have to note on this platform that, of all the things that have given cause for inmates to riot, it’s food.”
She added that in the case of prison riot, Prison officers become the firs point of attack.
Patience Baffoe-Bonnie assured that the Service is passionate about ensuring change and is pushing for the release of the promised funds.
She says that they are hopeful the daily feeding rate will be increased more in 2026 to match the real cost of sustaining adult inmates.
