Eating, Working, and Rebuilding: The Case for productive Prisons in Ghana

Eating, Working, and Rebuilding: The Case for productive Prisons in Ghana

On September 30, 2025, the government announced a 178 percent increase in the daily feeding allowance for prisoners, raising it from GH¢1.80 to GH¢5.

While this adjustment is long overdue, it raises deeper questions about whether it is sufficient to restore dignity, improve nutrition, and rehabilitate inmates, or whether it risks being merely symbolic.

The public will be interested in getting answers to several critical questions.

Why did it take fifteen years, despite rising inflation and soaring food costs, to adjust this allowance?

Even at GH¢5 per day, can three balanced meals realistically be provided to adult prisoners in today’s economy, or will they continue to rely heavily on gardens, poultry, fish ponds, and occasional donations from churches?

How quickly will the GH¢10 million allocated for the last quarter of 2025 be released, and will it reach its intended purpose without bureaucratic delays or leakages?

Most importantly, how do we reconcile the fact that a prisoner receives GH¢5 per day while a child under the national school feeding programme gets only GH¢2.50?

These questions strike at the heart of national priorities and the dignity of vulnerable populations.k

Feeding, though essential, is only part of the solution.

The larger conversation must focus on productivity and rehabilitation. Many prisons in Ghana already operate small farms, poultry units, and fish ponds, but these remain underfunded and underutilized.

With proper investment in tools, irrigation, seeds, and training, prisons could produce maize, cassava, vegetables, fish, and poultry at scale.

Inmates would eat what they produce themselves, improving nutrition, reducing reliance on government allocations, and reclaiming dignity through responsibility.
International examples demonstrate what is possible when prisoners are productively engaged.

In China, inmates contribute to agriculture and road construction, directly supporting national infrastructure while learning work discipline.

In the United States, prison industries manufacture furniture, uniforms, and even electronic components, generating revenue while teaching practical skills. Rwanda engages prisoners in agriculture and community projects such as house building and infrastructure maintenance.

Brazil links productive work to incentives, allowing inmates to reduce sentences through labour or study. These examples show that prisons can be centres of productivity and rehabilitation rather than drains on public resources.

For Ghana, the opportunities are clear. Prisoners could participate in rural road maintenance, construct community infrastructure, produce furniture and uniforms for schools and hospitals, or manage agro-processing ventures such as maize milling and vegetable packaging.

Such programmes would reduce the burden on government budgets while equipping inmates with skills for reintegration into society.

It is crucial, however, that prisoner labour remains voluntary, safe, and focused on rehabilitation.

The goal must be empowerment, skill-building, and discipline, fully aligned with the Mandela Rules. Transparent oversight mechanisms are needed to prevent abuse, ensure accountability, and protect inmates’ rights.

Moreover, the GH¢5 increment must be seen as only the first step in a sustained effort.

Feeding rates should be regularly reviewed to reflect rising food costs, prison farms should be scaled into fully operational self-sufficient units, and vocational programmes should align with national development needs.

Linking feeding with productive labour can transform prisons into spaces where inmates acquire skills, regain dignity, and prepare for life after incarceration.
In conclusion, the increase in feeding allowance, though welcome, must be complemented by bold action on productivity and rehabilitation. Ghana cannot afford another fifteen-year delay.

The public will be watching closely to see whether promises are translated into real improvements, whether funds reach the right places, and whether prisons are transformed into spaces of dignity, skill-building, and national contribution. Feeding prisoners is about respecting human rights, but engaging them in meaningful work is about national transformation and moral responsibility.

The time to act decisively is now.

By Curtice Dumevor Public health expert and social analyst