The Church of Pentecost has constructed and handed over a fully equipped Prison Camp to the Ghana Prisons Service at Damongo in the Savannah Region. The Damongo Camp Prison is one of five correctional facilities built by the church, and it is expected to accommodate 300 inmates.
The facility includes a visitors’ lounge, dormitory block, dining hall, chapel, church auditorium, play area, and a laundry room.
Inmates will also receive vocational training in agriculture, tailoring, carpentry, and metal works.
Commissioning the edifice, the President said the opening of the facility represents a symbol of hope, redemption, and partnership for national renewal. He reaffirmed government’s commitment to prison reforms, stressing that no Ghanaian should be stripped of their humanity even when they are in prison.
The President further disclosed plans to expand the use of alternative sentencing for minor and non-violent offences, and review bail conditions to reduce hardship on the poor. He also expressed government’s determination to complete the 800-capacity remand block at Nsawam, which has remained abandoned since 2016.
Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, said the initiative reflects the church’s biblical mandate to care for the marginalized. Quoting Hebrews 13:3, he emphasized that the church sees every prisoner as deserving of dignity, comfort, and the opportunity for transformation.
He noted that the facility will help reduce congestion in the prison system, saying overcrowding has dropped from 50.43% in 2018 to 38% in recent reports from the Prisons Service.
Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq), expressed gratitude to the Church of Pentecost and commended the President for increasing the feeding allowance for inmates from ₵1.80 to ₵5.00. She said the facility will enhance rehabilitation through agricultural and vocational training that will also support inmate feeding.
She described the commissioning as a celebration of hope, transformation, and stewardship—highlighting that the Damongo Prison is designed not only as a place of custody but as a centre for productivity, renewal, and second chances.
Source:Fiilafmonline/Walkiyatu Issahaku
