ABOUT 70 per cent of the 1,365 inmates in the Kumasi Central Prison have been equipped with employable skills to enhance their full integration into society after serving their jail terms.
They were trained in masonry, carpentry, fashion designing, steel bending, craft and handiwork, kente weaving, hairdressing, textile and batik making, and entrepreneurship.
An officer of the Kumasi Central Prison, Deputy Superintendent of Prisons, (DSP) Thomas Ofori, made this known when members of the Church of God in Kumasi held an open-yard crusade in the prisons as part of their familiarisation visit.
They also donated 40 cartons of toilet rolls, three bags of rice, 20 student mattresses, three cartons of soap, quantity of tooth paste, chewing sticks and plastic chairs to the inmates.
Among the leadership of the church who worshipped with the inmates were the General Overseer, Bishop Robert Boakye Nkansah, Rev. Frimpong Mensah, Pastor Sam Adom Kwarteng, Prophet Frank Antwi and Nana Dwomo Sarpong.
DSP Ofori said, “The frequent church services held at the prison yard, the sharing of the word of God and various donations the public has made has contributed tremendously to reform the inmates, many of whom have now acquired employable skills”.
He said the Kumasi Central Prison had procured various equipment to train the inmates in various trades, especially in building construction, and urged the public to approach the prison authorities anytime they wanted to build houses.
DSP Ofori assured the public of quality service and timely delivery of projects, saying “ you should always seek our services because the inmates are not only capable, but will also deliver on schedule at moderate cost”.
Earlier in his sermon, Bishop Boakye Nkansah encouraged the inmates to regard themselves as people endowed with potentials that could be used to the glory of God.
He said it was, therefore, important for them not to waste time brooding over their present predicament but think of what to do after serving their sentences.
Using his experience as an example, Bishop Boakye Nkansah said apart from being imprisoned for four years for committing no offence, he was also discharged from the Ghana Armed Forces, and that made his life very miserable.
He said he never harboured any ill-feelings against his persecutors, but forgave them “and now God has blessed me, making me an example for others”.
“Do not feel bitter towards God for bringing you here because you are here for a purpose. God knows you as a special person, and thinks good about you,” he said
Bishop Boakye Nkansah also advised those who had committed various offences not to feel bitter, but to forgive themselves to enable God to forgive them.
“Never despair because God is not only willing to forgive you and make you a better person, but will also use you to achieve better results”, he stressed.
Earlier, Nana Dwomo Sarpong, who is the President of Rivers and water Bodies , had encouraged the inmates to attend church regularly and accept the word of God to enhnace their salvation.
He said they should also pray regularly, and assured them that the church would also pray for them as a way of building their faith in Christ who “is capable of doing everything, including touching the heart of the President to release you from jail to enable you contribute to the sustainable socio-economic development of the county”.
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