The renovation of a 20-seater toilet and bath facility has brought a great relief to officers at Duayaw-Nkwanta settlement camp of the Ghana Prisons Service in the Tano North District of Brong-Ahafo Region.
Initially, both the male and female officers, were using the same pit latrine, a situation according to Assistant Director of Prisons (ADoP) John Asiedu Benaye, the Camp Commander was very unpleasant and unacceptable.
He said the pit latrines were not only outmoded, but unhygienic and creating a lot mess at the Camp.
The officers could not hide their joy, when Mrs. Freda Prempeh, a Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing inaugurated the facility on Monday.
They expressed their deepest appreciation to the Deputy Minister for the gesture and promised to take good care of the facility.
Mrs. Prempeh who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North personally renovated the sanitary facility at the cost of GHC20,000.00.
She told the officers to take good care of it by ensuring regular maintenance.
Mrs. Prempeh assured them that she would pursue and ensure that all the basic challenges at the camp were addressed.
She was however not happy about the dilapidated nature of the Camp's kitchen and pledged to put the facility in good shape.
Mrs. Prempeh also presented 10 buckets of paint to repaint the camp.
ADoP Benaye expressed worry about the rate at which people were encroaching on the camp's1000 acre land and appealed to the Deputy Minister and the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council to fence or develop it.
He said the Prison’s infirmary needed urgent renovation and expansion so that it can take care of the 54 inmates.
Chief Superintendent Vincent Asare, the second in command of the Camp emphasised that the reformation of prisoners was a collective responsibility and appealed to corporate bodies, NGOs and religious institutions to support in addressing problems at the Prisons.
He expressed concern about the inadequate accommodation for the officers and appealed for assistance.