Ghana’s prison feeding budget is under scrutiny once again after officers at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison revealed that the daily feeding rate per inmate remains GH₵1.80, a figure that has not been reviewed since 2011.
The disclosure was made on May 19, 2025, during a visit by the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, which was at the facility to assess conditions and engage with prison authorities.
According to Deputy Director of Prisons Patrick Thomas Seidu, the GH₵1.80 allocation is expected to cover three meals a day for each inmate — an amount he described as woefully inadequate given current economic realities and food prices.
“Inmates are still being fed on GH₵1.80 a day, which was last reviewed in 2011,”
— Deputy Director of Prisons Patrick Seidu
“This makes it very difficult to provide decent meals, considering the rise in food prices.”
Overcrowding Adds to the Strain
In addition to poor feeding conditions, Mr. Seidu raised serious concerns about overcrowding at the prison. Built to accommodate 717 inmates, the Nsawam facility is currently housing 3,548 prisoners — nearly five times its intended capacity.
This level of congestion not only worsens living conditions but also strains already limited resources, including food, healthcare, and sanitation services. Prisoners’ rights advocates have long warned that such conditions can lead to malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and increased mental health challenges among inmates.
Calls for Urgent Reform
The revelation has sparked renewed calls for government intervention and policy reform, particularly around prison funding and infrastructure. Human rights groups and some MPs are urging the Ministries of Interior and Finance to urgently review the feeding budget, which they say is outdated and inconsistent with Ghana’s commitment to humane detention standards.
As inflation continues to erode the real value of public spending, stakeholders warn that failing to act now could further deteriorate the human rights situation within the country’s prisons — and potentially attract international criticism.
