Philanthropist provides facilities for Sunyani Central Prison
A philanthropist, Mr Stephen Effah Sakyi, has constructed a 12-seater place of convenience, a bathhouse and two water reservoirs for the Sunyani Central Prison inmates at a total cost of GH¢ 35,000.
The Sunyani Central Prison put up in 1962 for 450 inmates is congested since it now has more than 800 inmates.
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The old dilapidated three-seater toilet facility built with bricks is in dire need of a facelift as a result of the pressure being exerted on it by the more than 800 inmates.
Moreover, the bathhouse leaks badly anytime it rains and has holes all over its floor because of neglect over the years.
The newly constructed facility has, therefore, come as a relief to inmates who hitherto had to queue and wait for their turn in order to answer to nature's call.
With the construction of these facilities, inmates will no longer have to join long queues just to have their turn to answer to nature's calls.
Inauguration
At the inauguration and handover ceremony of the facilities, Mr Sakyi said the project was built to commemorate the 60th birthday of his mother-in-law, Emelia Deynoo.
"My mother-in-law wanted to use her 60th birthday celebration to impact the lives of prisoners by solving a need of the prison," he explained.
Mr Sakyi said when he had discussions with authorities of the prison, it was recommended to him to fix the toilet and bathhouse problems for the inmates.
He thanked authorities of the Sunyani Central Prison who assisted him to put up the structures in honour of his mother-in-law.
The Chaplain of the Sunyani Central Prison, Reverend Superintendent Gideon Ndebugri, commended Mr Sakyi for his benevolence and encouraged others to emulate the gesture.
The Regional Commander and Officer In-charge of the Sunyani Central Prison, Deputy Director of Prison (DDP) Benedict Bob-Dery, thanked Mr Sakyi and his family for the project and described it as a dream come true.
He said the need for the construction of a new toilet facility and a bathhouse for the inmates became a headache for his administration and, therefore, promised that the new facility would be well taken care of.
Enterprise Life Insurance
Meanwhile, Enterprise Life Insurance has donated 400 bags of cement worth over GH¢20,000 to the Sunyani Central and Female Prison to be used for development projects in and around the two facilities.
Making the presentation, the acting General Manager, Agency Channel, Mr Alex Baah Inkoom, said the donation was the company’s widow’s mite to the prison.
He added that based on a request from the regional command, 300 bags were earmarked for the ongoing canteen development project and renovation works in the prison yard, while the remaining 100 bags was also for renovation works at the female prison.
The Sunyani Central Prison Canteen has seen a massive improvement due to the ongoing renovation works.
The facility is open to the public, with a large percentage of its income used to cater for administrative and welfare needs of inmates.
