GIFEC to develop the prison-inmate locator system

Ghana Investment Fund for Electronics Communications (GIFEC), is to develop the Prison-Inmate Location System to enable relatives to have information on where their relations have been remanded.

The initiative would also enable relatives of remand prisoners to know the date their relations were arrested, the police or prisons they are kept, the exact court presiding over the case and most importantly their next court appearance.

Mr Kobby Acheampong, the new Administrator of GIFEC, speaking at a press soiree in Accra, said the initiative is to tackle the real problems of remand prisoners that been dumped in remand and forgotten.

The system to be developed would be handled by institutions like the judiciary, Ghana Prisons Service and the Ghana Police Service.

The event, on the theme: " GIFEC, 2015 and beyond," was to introduce Mr Acheampong as the new Administrator to the press.

"It’s a simple tool to help everybody, especially the families of remand prisoners to locate their relation," he said.

He said GIFEC has discussed the initiative with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Security and they are in the process of developing the guidelines to roll-out the programme.

The New Administrator said as part of plans for the remaining year, management would develop an information communication technology hub to enable and allow state institutions to hike on the hub for their daily operations to better serve its audience.

On health care, Mr Acheampong said GIFEC would improve on the information communication technology connectivity of CHIPS compound with the introduction of software to enhance health care delivery.

He said as part of the plans, tele-medicine would be added across the country, where technicians would be trained to man these facilities to better deliver quality health care services.

In the area of education, Mr Acheampong said GIFEC in collaboration with Ghana Library Authority would develop an e-library platform, where every Ghanaian could get the opportunity to read online and also create an opportunity for the youth to develop themselves.

"We are in discussions with the National Information Technology Agency for the project to be rolled out," he said.

He said GIFEC would also set up more infrastructure to improve on the business models of community centres to develop the host communities.