Prisoners clean to beautify the City of Accra

The Leadership of the Ghana Prisons Service and Zoomlion Ghana Limited have signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) to use exiting prisoners to clean the City of Accra.

The initiative, which is at the pilot stage forms part of the President’s vision to beautify the City and make Ghana the most beautiful country in Africa.

Superintendent Vitalis Aiyeh, the Chief Public Relations Officer, Ghana Prisons Service in an interview with the Ghana news Agency on Monday, said per the MoU the inmates would weed, desilt and clean the City.

He said the initiative was also in line with the vision of the Director-General of the Service to beautify the various barracks and give it a facelift.

The PRO said the arrangement, which was sanctioned by Parliament, was to enable the inmates channel their energies to productive work in supporting clean the City and make it beautiful.

He said as part of the agreement, the inmates would work five days a week with Zoomlion providing the needed logistics like trucks, shovels, wheelbarrows, reflectors and nose guards, while the Service would also provide security for the inmates and prepare them with escorts to the various sites. He said so far, the inmates had been able to clean Kawokudi through to Kanda High Way to the Electoral Commission and the Accra Psychiatric hospital as well as the Ridge Roundabout.

Other areas include from the National Theatre all the way to the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) Junction, the Independence Square, Teshie, the La General hospital, Airport Roundabout to American House, and the Dzorwulu High Way.

He said by way of internal generated funds and sanctioned by Parliament, an inmate, engaged in these particular activities would be paid GH¢10.00 each a day and 60 per cent of whatever the inmates generate was given to the Service with 40 per cent paid back to government chest.

Superintendent Aiyeh said if the initiative was successful, it would be replicated across the regional capitals.

He said the inmates engaged in this particular cleaning exercise were prisoners, who were exciting the four corners of the prisons and due diligent and profiling were done on them before they were assigned to the exercise.

“All the inmates for this particular exercise have been transferred to James Camp Prison from other prisons and have served a third of their sentence and have exhibited a sign of good behaviour,” he added.

Superintendent Aiyeh said any inmate, who cause a threat could not be part of the programme and “we will not put people, who are murderers, rapist, armed robbers to deal or associate with the public.”

He said those the Management selects for the programme do not pose any risk to the public in anyway.

He assured the public of maximum security and that inmates taking part in the programme were less risky to the public.