The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has commended the Ghana Prisons Service for using creative arts to promote inmate rehabilitation, skills development and economic empowerment.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Deputy Minister Sampson Ahi said art could serve as a powerful tool for human transformation, mutual understanding and the recognition of shared humanity.
He made the remarks as the special guest of honour at the maiden Director-General and Adehyee’s Art Exhibition, where he stressed that correctional work must go beyond confinement to equip inmates with practical skills, rebuild their self-confidence and prepare them for economic opportunities and successful reintegration into society.
Mr Ahi also highlighted the potential of Ghana’s creative arts sector to generate employment, promote entrepreneurship and contribute to national development.
He called for exhibitions of this nature to become sustainable platforms for talent discovery, public-private partnerships and the commercialisation of artworks produced by inmates.
He further urged the public to look beyond the past mistakes of incarcerated persons, abandon stigmatisation and recognise their dignity and potential to contribute meaningfully to society.
The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, said the initiative formed part of the Service’s broader Think Prisons 360 Degrees philosophy, which seeks to transform the institution from a purely custodial facility into a self-sustaining, development-oriented correctional system.