OIC of Ho Female Prisons retires

The Ghana Prisons Service has organised a pull-out ceremony for the retiring Officer-In-Charged (OIC) of the Ho Female Prisons, Madam Clarissa Catherine Addo Dankwa.

The ceremony, held at the forecourt of the Ho Female Prisons, had a parade of female officers of the Service, attended by Dr Archibald Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, top security officers, a cross-section of the public and family and friends of Madam Addo Dankwa.

Madam Dankwa was recruited into the Ghana Prisons Service on July 18, 1980, as a Recruit Officer and as a member of 80th Recruit Course in a special exercise for sportsmen and women and served 39 years and eleven months, rising to the rank of Superintendent.

She won the Best-All-Round Recruit Officer Course Award during their passing out parade on November 27, 1980 and was posted to the Prisons Officers’ Training School (POTS) in Accra where she served for two years and was transferred to the Prisons Headquarters as a Radio Communication Officer.

She was transferred to the Ghana Borstal Institute, now Senior Correctional Centre in 1987, as a Welfare Officer, after she had acquired a Certificate in Social Work and was responsible for the Welfare of both officers and inmates before moving to the defunct James Fort Female Prisons in 1991 where she combined her role as a welfare officer with duties as the Chief Clerk.

She worked at the Kumasi Female Prisons 12 years as a welfare officer and social worker, went back to POTS on November 2, 2007, for training alongside 103 others, and was commissioned as Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) on May 2, 2008.

She was posted to Tamale Female Prison as Second-in-Command and Staff Officer before joining the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) from April 2010 to October 2011.

Madam Dankwa represented the Corrections Advisory Unit (CAU) in sensitizing the community on the prison system and advocating for support for the social reintegration of ex-convicts among other achievements.



At the Ho Prisons, she refurbished the OIC’s bungalow and increased vocational training for inmates to include production of liquid soap, Alata shower gel, disinfectant, bleach, and fabric conditioner, which are sold under the label name HOFEM PRODUCTS and also sponsored two officers for training to ensure continued production.

She constructed a modern kitchen, which was well furnished at the Ho Female Prisons and restocked the bakery for more production to enhance the wellbeing of the inmates.

Madam Addo Dankwa was decorated with enviable awards during her service which included the June 4th Revolution Medal, Long Service and Good Conduct (Prison Division) Award, the Golden Jubilee Medal for the commemoration of Ghana’s 50th Independence Anniversary and the United Nations Medal for peacekeeping Operations in Liberia.

In her remarks, she urged the authorities of the Service to collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure that challenges facing it were adequately and effectively addressed.

“People have to know about our needs to enable them support us. People need to know that when the prison institutions are well resourced, society benefits because we will be able to meet our reforming role,” she stated.