The Director-General of Prisons, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, has called for greater unity, mutual support and active participation among female prison officers.
That, she said, would build a stronger service and advance its female leadership and contributions.
Mrs Baffoe-Bonnie made the call when she addressed the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Prisons Ladies Association (PRILAS) in Accra yesterday.
The event, which was on the theme “When ‘She’ leads, the system heals: Women driving Prison excellence,” brought together members and executives of PRILAS and representatives from sister security agencies.
Objectives
The occasion also marked two decades of the existence of PRILAS. The official cloth and logo for the 20th anniversary celebration were unveiled.
Among the discussions were issues aimed at strengthening women’s leadership, promoting welfare and supporting professional development within the Ghana Prisons Service.
Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie, who is also the National President of PRILAS, underscored the commitment of the association's members, stressing that the strength of PRILAS depended on their collective dedication and active participation.
The female officers
She said female officers had, over the years, demonstrated commitment, professionalism, compassion and resilience in the discharge of their duties, pointing out that this had contributed massively to the success of the Ghana Prison Service.
She, therefore, urged the membership to carry on in unity and support each other.
“When women lead effectively within the prison environment, they nurture, mentor, guide, inspire and build greatness.
They help create environments where discipline and compassion work together to support rehabilitation and recovery,” she said.
Initiatives
Highlighting some initiatives that had strengthened the association and improved members’ welfare, the Director-General of Prisons said the association had expanded its membership from about 560 women two decades ago to nearly 5,000 members.
She said it had also established mentoring groups at stations across the country to provide peer support and leadership development.
She further announced plans to establish baby-friendly nurseries nationwide, create a PRILAS village for training and entrepreneurship, operationalise a water production project, introduce retirement education programmes, institutionalise annual awards and promote digital literacy through coding and technology initiatives.
She also hinted at plans to support housing projects and scholarship opportunities for members and their children.
The Principal Programme Officer at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sabia Kpekata, encouraged female officers to remain committed to strengthening their professional capacities.
Leadership
Ms Kpekata also asked them to exhibit exemplary leadership to build a new generation of women equipped to lead with vision, integrity and purpose.
In that regard, she called on institutions to recognise merit, nurture leadership, and create opportunities that would enable more women to rise to positions of influence and responsibility.
