After 27 years of using a dilapidated wooden place of convenience which led to the spread of diseases, the inmates of the Ahinsan Camp Prison in the Adansi District in the Ashanti Region are excited that they now have a GH¢40,000 10-seater water closet toilet facility with an overhead water tank.

Courtesy Vivo Energy Ghana, marketers and distributors of Shell-branded products and services, in association with its retailers, the prisoners’ health and safety is now guaranteed.

The gesture was under Vivo's Retailer Sustainability Programme in partnership with the retailers aimed at complementing the government's efforts at combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was also to ensure the decentralisation of support to communities where Vivo Energy operates.

Beneficiaries

A number of government institutions have also benefited from the programme with the provision of mainly COVID-19 items.

They include the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern Region, the Kenyasi Health Centre and the Ejura Sekyeredumase District in the Ashanti Region; Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital and the National Commission for Civic Education in the Western Region.

The Corporate Communications Manager of Vivo Energy, Mrs Shirley Tony Kum, said in line with the company's Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) intervention processes, it had a responsibility to ensure that customers and communities were safe from the coronavirus disease.

Vacancy - USAID

"With our vision of becoming Africa's most respected energy business, we strive to go beyond simply running a business to serving our communities," she said.

How it started

In April this year, Vivo Energy Ghana visited the prison facility to donate some COVID-19 items and during an engagement and need assessment, it came to light that the most pressing need of the inmates was a toilet facility.

Following that, Vivo, together with its retailers under its programme, provided the needed materials while the inmates provided labour with specification from the Ghana Prisons Service.

Some of the retailers also assured the prison camp of completing their church building and providing ceiling fans in their residence.

The Station Commander of the Prison Camp, Superintendent Tabi Kokro, said the inmates were minor offenders and were normally transferred from the Central Prisons to offer them hands-on training.

The main focus at the camp is to engage the inmates in agriculture and the manufacturing of agriculture products.

On behalf of the facility, he appealed to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help with a palm oil processing machine to enable them to produce soap.

Production

At the moment, the camp is cultivating a 145-acre oil palm plantation, two acres of mango farm, a 10-acre teak plantation and a 40-acre maize farm.

Superintendent Kokro said plans were in place to diversify into animal husbandry, especially piggery.

He appealed to members of the society to welcome the inmates back into their fold after they had served their terms, else they may be tempted to go back to their old ways.