The Osagyefo Power Barge Centre at Effasu Mangyea in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region is set to be converted into a prison school for the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS).
The initiative is being pursued by the Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, in collaboration with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Benedict Boadi, to prevent the facility from going to waste and repurpose it for educational and rehabilitation activities.
Personnel from the Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service and the Jomoro Municipal Assembly have already visited the facility to assess its suitability for the proposed conversion. The team was led by the MCE, Benedict Boadi.
The proposed prison school is expected to provide inmates with opportunities to access formal education and acquire skills to support their rehabilitation and reintegration into society after serving their sentences.
The facility was originally associated with the Osagyefo Power Barge project, which was established as part of Ghana’s efforts to address electricity supply challenges.
However, the project became the subject of controversy following the dismantling of the barge, which was expected to supply electricity to parts of the Western Region.
On November 16, 2015, the Ministry of Energy directed the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to take over ownership of the power barge. The subsequent dismantling of the facility generated controversy in the Jomoro Municipality.
The then Deputy Minister of Energy, William Owuraku Aidoo, told Parliament that about 90 per cent of the Osagyefo Power Barge had been dismantled without authorisation.
The development followed calls by Ms Affo-Toffey for the prosecution of Misag, the private company involved in the dismantling, which she described as illegal.
The proposed conversion would give the facility a new purpose, with a focus on correctional education, skills development and rehabilitation.
However, details regarding the timeline for the conversion, funding, educational programmes and the institution responsible for managing the proposed school have yet to be established. The project remains subject to the necessary approvals and implementation arrangements.
