Gold Fields Foundation supports Tarkwa Prison with 20-acre oil palm project for inmate rehabilitation
For Gold Fields Ghana Foundation Executive Secretary, Abdul-Razak Yakubu, prisons were once places he associated with fear.
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation's Executive Secretary, Abdul-Razak Yakubu, revealed his evolving perception of prisons as places for reform and reintegration. As part of the Foundation's investment in enterprise development and sustainable livelihoods, they launched the Prisons Agro-Support and Empowerment (PASE) Project at Tarkwa Local Prison.
The project aims to cultivate an additional 20 acres of oil palm, complementing the existing 30 acres to address food needs and provide inmates with practical skills. The initiative received 1,400 Tenera oil palm seedlings, along with fertiliser, organic compost, and other tools, at an estimated cost of GH¢144,666. The project aligns with the Ghana Prisons Service's strategic focus on agricultural mechanisation, business, and wealth creation.
With a prison population of over 340 inmates, the project seeks to supplement food production and equip inmates with vocational skills they can utilize post-release. The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation is exploring the possibility of establishing an oil palm processing centre to add value to the produce, promoting self-reliance and employment opportunities upon inmates' return to society.
Executive Secretary Yakubu emphasized that the ultimate goal is to ensure that former inmates can showcase the skills acquired during their incarceration as a foundation for a productive future.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
