The Ashanti Regional Command of the Ghana Prison Service is proposing immediate relocation of the Kumasi Central Prisons to decongest the installation especially in the face of Covid-19.

Established in 1901 by the British colonial authorities to accommodate about 450 prisoners, the prison now houses around 1,981 inmates.

Obviously, the security installation has been overpopulated over decades and officials believe it is about time it was relocated to a more spacious facility to accommodate the growing number of inmates.

Speaking on Akoma FM’s morning show GhanAkoma on Tuesday, March 2, Ashanti Region Public Relations Officer for the Service, DSP Richard Bukari, told host Aduananba Kofi Asante Ennin that “the inmates are unable to observe social distance which is a mandatory protocol in fighting the deadly Covid-19 [disease] because hundreds of inmates are packed in small cubicles”, a situation, he added, “we cannot pretend that all is well but the truth is that it is impossible to fight Covid-19 in an unlikely event if some of the inmates get infected”.

The Command further bemoaned the lack of space for expansion, making relocation the only proposal to consider to reduce congestion and ensure public safety and national security.

“Quest for industrialization and commercialization has drawn the prison closer to the middle of the central business district, so it will be more appropriate if we can relocate to a more secluded area away from commercial activities,” DSP Bukari added.