Philantropist provides ablution facility for Sunyani Central Prison.

A Philanthropist, Mr. Stephen Effa Sakyi, has constructed a 12-seater toilet, a bathhouse and two water reservoirs for Sunyani Central Prison inmates. 

The newly constructed facility, valued at the cost of GHC 35,000.00, has come as a huge relief to the inmates who hitherto had to queue and wait for their turns in order to attend nature’s call.

The old dilapidated three-seater toilet facility, built with bricks, was seriously overstretched as a result of the pressure exerted on it by the more than eight hundred inmates currently in custody.

At the inauguration and handing over of the facility, Mr. Sakyi said that the project was to commemorate the 60th birthday of his mother-in-law, Madam Emelia Deynoo.

‘My mother-in-law wanted to use her 60th birthday anniversary celebration to impact the lives of prisoners by solving a need of the prison. When I had discussions with the authorities of the prison, it was recommended to me to fix the toilet and bathhouse problems for the inmates’, he explained.

Mr. Sakyi thanked authorities of the Sunyani Central Prison for the opportunity and assistance to put up the structures in honour of his mother-in-law.

The black coat (leader of the inmates) of Sunyani Central Prison thanked the donor and stated that the new facility had come to solve a major challenge of the inmates. 

“Prisoners will no longer have to join long queues just to have their turns in using the toilet facilities since the seaters had increased”, he noted, with joy. 

The Chaplain of the Sunyani Central Prison, Reverend Superintendent Gideon Ndebugri commended Mr. Sakyi for his benevolence and appealed to other philanthropists and well-meaning individuals to emulate his kind gesture.

The Regional commander and Officer-In-Charge of Sunyani Central Prison, Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP), Benedict Bob-Dery thanked Mr. Sakyi and his family for the project, describing 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, adding that, he can now heave a sigh of relief. He therefore gave the assurance that he would ensure that the new facility is well maintained.

The Sunyani Central Prison which was opened in 1962 with an authorized capacity of four hundred and thirty inmates, currently houses over eight hundred inmates, thereby overstretching the prison facility.