Antika Company Limited donates food items to Wa Central Prisons

Antika Company Limited has made a donation of ten bags each of maize and rice, amounting to a total value of GHC 7,500, in order to provide support for the well-being of inmates at the Wa Central Prisons.

Antika is both an input retailer and a maize, rice, soya and groundnut seed production company based in Wa, the Upper West Regional Capital.

Seidu Mubarik, the Deputy Managing Director of Antika Company Limited, speaking on behalf of the Managing Director, stated that the donation was a direct response to a specific request made by the leadership of Wa Central Prison. The primary aim of this contribution is to improve the well-being of the inmates.

“We are here this morning on behalf of Antika Company Limited and our Managing Director, Alhaji Abdulai Antiku to make a little presentation to the Ghana Prisons Service. We are here with ten bags of rice and ten bags of maize that are coming from the company’s activities and proceeds.

“Our boss in the person of Alhaji Abdulai Atiku asked that we come and present this as a token haven heard an appeal from the prison service with regards to food and how they feeding their inmates.” he stated.

The Deputy Managing Director expressed hope that the donated food items would significantly assist in providing nourishment to the inmates and alleviate their food insecurities.

Upon receiving the donation, the commander of the Prisons Service, Assistant Director of Prisons Joseph Damolbil Miyella, expressed that the current daily feeding allowance of GHC 1.80 for the inmates is woefully insufficient.

“It is not easy for us to take care of inmates. It will surprise you to understand that the inmates are being fed on GHC 1.80 per day for the three square meals. 60 pesewas for breakfast, 60 pesewas for lunch, and 60 pesewas for supper. How can one survive on GHC 1.80 for feeding?” he quizzed.

He used the opportunity to appeal to the general public, well-wishers,
philanthropists to help feed the inmates properly.

He expressed gratitude to Antika Company Limited for their assistance in providing food for the inmates under the prison command. Additionally, he expressed the hope that the company would receive a bountiful harvest in the upcoming season to continue their support in aiding people.”

“To feed on this, one mini bag of maize (25kg) is just for one meal for them. They take Banku twice a week. So 100kg of maize for one week. If it is the rice, 50kg of rice can do for two weeks. So look at it in a week, we give them rice once, Banku twice and we supplement it with Gari and Beans.”

The Regional Commander of the Ghana Prisons Service in the Upper West region disclosed that they have encountered difficulties in maintaining a vegetable garden aimed at enhancing the nutritional value of the inmates.

He mentioned that the command managed to purchase a fencing wire using their limited resources but now requires the assistance of the general public to complete the fencing of the garden by adding an additional wire mesh.

He claimed that the Prison Service personnel have assumed the role of caregivers for prisoners as a result of financial difficulties encountered by the organization.

“A prisoner who is on hospital admission was rushed to the theater for urgent surgery and they needed money and we don’t have it. I called on my staff, this is the situation. What can we do? So we just contributed money from our pocket to be able to help this inmate. we cannot allow him to die.” he said.

According to ADP Joseph Damolbil Miyella, there were 220 inmates at the Wa Central Prisons comprising remand and convicted prisoners.

According to him, the command is making preparations in anticipation of an increase in crime during Eid ul Adha and other celebrations, which would lead to the arrival of new prisoners.

“When it comes to festivities, crime is high and at Christmas time, sallah crime is high. As we are entering the sallah we are preparing we don’t want them to come in but if they come we have no option.”

According to Mr. Suley Rahman, the Manager for Good Agronomic Practices at Antika Company Limited, the prison service leadership initially asked for firewood from their farm, but later informed them about a shortage of food within the prison.

“Two weeks ago, we went to clear one of our farms at Piisi with a chainsaw machine, and the leadership of the prison service requested for the logs to be used as firewood in cooking for the inmates. We conveyed the firewood to their destination. Some of the leaders came to say thank you to Antika company and they used the opportunity to reveal some of the challenges facing the prison service. Key among them was food shortage and Antika company limited decided to come to their aid with the food items.”