Govt increases prison inmates' feeding grant to GH¢5

The government has announced a significant increase in the daily feeding grant for prison inmates, raising the amount from GH¢1.80p to GH¢5.

The prisoners' feeding grant adjustment, according to Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, Minister for the Interior, is aimed at improving the welfare of prisoners across the country.

He emphasised that while inmates may have erred against society, their basic human rights—including the right to adequate food—must be respected.

Muntaka made this known when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

He said the new rate had received presidential approval and would be captured in the 2026 Budget, with GH¢10 million expected to be released to cover the last quarter of this year.

Members of the committee described the GH¢1.80p allocation, which has remained unchanged since 2010, as grossly inadequate for providing three meals a day to inmates.

The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, told the committee that poor feeding arrangements affect the health and well-being of prisoners.

She disclosed that the Prisons Service has been relying on gardens, fish ponds, poultry projects, and occasional assistance from churches to supplement meals for inmates.

She, however, warned that food shortages continue to be the leading trigger of disturbances in prisons and stressed the importance of providing better rations to protect the well-being of both inmates and officers.

A member of the committee, Sebastian Fred Deh, drew comparisons with the GH¢2.50 per child per day under the school feeding programme, arguing that the situation violated the Mandela Rules, which require adequate food for inmates.

He urged the government to release the approved funds without delay to ease the burden on the prison system.

The Ghana Prisons Service has long appealed for an upward adjustment to the feeding grant, citing challenges in managing the welfare of inmates across the country’s correctional facilities.

With this increase, authorities are hopeful that the quality of meals and the general well-being of prisoners will improve, reducing some of the hardships they face daily.

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