The Osagyefo Power Barge Centre at Effasu Mangyea, popularly known as Effasu, 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 spearheaded by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, in collaboration with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Benedict Boadi, as part of efforts to give the facility a new purpose.
The proposed conversion is intended to prevent the centre from going to waste and transform it into an educational facility that could support skills development, learning and rehabilitation among inmates.
If successfully implemented, the prison school could provide inmates with opportunities to access formal education and acquire practical skills to improve their prospects of reintegration into society after serving their sentences.
The Osagyefo Power Barge project was established as part of Ghana’s efforts to address electricity supply challenges.
The facility was expected to contribute to power generation and improve electricity supply in parts of the Western Region.
However, the project became the subject of controversy following the dismantling of the barge.
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 concerns and confusion within the Jomoro Municipality.
The then Deputy Minister of Energy, William Owuraku Aidoo, subsequently told Parliament that approximately 90 per cent of the Osagyefo Power Barge had been dismantled without authorisation.
The development prompted Dorcas Affo-Toffey, who was then the MP for Jomoro, to call for the prosecution of Misag, the private company reportedly involved in the dismantling.
The MP described the company’s actions as illegal and called for accountability over the handling of the facility.
As part of efforts to explore the proposed conversion, personnel from the Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Immigration Service and Ghana Police Service, together with officials from the Jomoro Municipal Assembly, have visited the centre.
The delegation was led by the Municipal Chief Executive, Benedict Boadi, to assess the facility and consider its suitability for the proposed purpose.
The assessment is expected to inform discussions on the centre’s potential use as an educational institution under the Ghana Prisons Service.
The collaboration between the MP and the MCE also highlights the role of cooperation between parliamentary representatives and local government authorities in identifying alternative uses for public infrastructure.
The proposed prison school could provide an opportunity to integrate education and vocational skills training into correctional services, helping inmates prepare for life beyond prison.
Access to education and skills development can support rehabilitation by equipping inmates with knowledge and practical competencies that may improve their employment prospects and ability to reintegrate into their communities.
However, the successful implementation of the proposal will depend on the outcome of the facility’s assessment, the necessary approvals and the availability of funding and other resources.
Details regarding the proposed school’s establishment timeline, the educational and vocational programmes to be offered, its funding arrangements and the institution responsible for its management have not yet been established.
The proposed conversion would mark a new chapter for the Osagyefo Power Barge Centre, shifting its intended use from electricity generation infrastructure to correctional education and rehabilitation.
The MP and the MCE are expected to play key roles in efforts to determine the facility’s future and ensure that any redevelopment serves the public interest.
By 1960news.com
