We don't even feed our cats and dogs with GH¢1.80 - Muntaka Slams 'Inhumane' Prison Feeding Budget
Accra, Ghana - 24 Jan, 2025 - Ghana's Minister-Designate for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has vowed to tackle the country's prison crisis, citing the "inhumane" daily feeding budget of GH¢1.80 per inmate.
Speaking during his parliamentary vetting, Muntaka expressed shock and dismay at the meager allocation, likening it to the care given to household pets.
Muntaka's concerns are echoed by prison officials and human rights advocates, who have long highlighted the dire conditions within Ghana's prisons. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate healthcare have created a perfect storm of health risks for inmates.
The Minister-Designate's pledge to prioritize prison reform has been welcomed by critics, who argue that the current system is failing to rehabilitate offenders or protect public safety.
“I was shocked when I heard that the rationing for feeding a prisoner in Ghana is GH¢1.80 for the whole day and I doubt with the greatest of respect that even the cats and dogs in our houses, how much food do we give them that we will put our own compatriots because of one mistake or the other, in trying to corect them, we feed them with GH¢1.80 and expect them to be healthy.?”
“It is a very serious thing and I assure my colleagues that I will pay attention to it and address it,'' he added.
Source: Lead News Online
