Nigerian, UNODC Delegation Concludes Learning Exchange in Ghana

A delegation from the Nigerian Correctional Service, led by Assistant Controller General Lakatile Cham Cyrus, has successfully concluded a week-long learning exchange visit to Ghana aimed at strengthening prisoner classification systems and promoting best practices in correctional management across the sub-region.

The exchange programme, organized in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), began on Monday, 11th May 2026, at the Ghana Prisons Service Headquarters in Accra. The delegation was officially received with a quarter guard and welcomed by the Director-General of Prisons, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq.), together with members of the Prisons Directorate.

Throughout the engagement, officials of the Ghana Prisons Service took the delegation through key operational areas including inmate separation and classification systems, legal and institutional frameworks, prison healthcare delivery, rehabilitation and reformation programmes, governance structures, and the Service’s strategic vision for correctional reforms.

As part of the practical component of the exchange, the delegation toured the Ankaful Prison Complex, Roman Ridge Prison Complex, and Nsawam Prison Complex. The visits offered firsthand exposure to inmate diagnostic procedures, classification mechanisms, rehabilitation initiatives, and correctional management systems being implemented within the Ghanaian prison facilities.

The programme also incorporated cultural and historical learning experiences, with the delegation visiting the Elmina Castle and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Museum to appreciate Ghana’s historical heritage and the legacy of its first President.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Assistant Controller General Lakatile Cham Cyrus praised the Ghana Prisons Service for its warm hospitality, professionalism, and commitment to knowledge sharing. He noted that the Nigerian Correctional Service would seek to adopt and adapt several of the effective correctional practices observed during the visit to improve operations back home.

He further emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and institutional learning in advancing humane correctional systems, rehabilitation, and inmate reintegration across Africa.

The exchange programme ended with a farewell dinner hosted by the Ghana Prisons Service at the Prisons Headquarters in Accra in honour of the delegation. The event was attended by the Director-General of Prisons and members of the Prisons Directorate, marking the successful conclusion of the collaborative engagement between the two correctional institutions.