In a historic ceremony, President John Dramani Mahama has sworn in Patience Baffoe-Bonnie as the new Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, marking a significant milestone in the country’s security sector.
Patience is the wife of Supreme Court judge, Justice Paul Kwadwo Baffoe-Bonnie of the 2012 election petition fame.
This appointment is part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at enhancing efficiency and strengthening leadership across Ghana’s key security institutions.
Baffoe-Bonnie, a seasoned warden and security expert with over 37 years of dedicated service, takes over from her immediate boss, Kofi Egyir, who was appointed by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2021.
Baffoe-Bonnie was deputy Director General until her elevation. Notably, she becomes the second female to occupy this position in the Ghana Prisons Service.
During her swearing-in ceremony at the Jubilee House, Baffoe-Bonnie reaffirmed her commitment to advancing the government’s vision for a modern and humane correctional system.
“This government’s mission for a progressive and humane prison system inspires us all, and I am committed to working tirelessly to realise this vision and to lead the next phase of modernization and retransformation of the Ghana Prisons Service,” she stated.
President Mahama expressed confidence in Baffoe-Bonnie’s leadership, emphasizing the need for meaningful reforms to improve prison conditions and operations across the country.
He urged her to lead the transformation of the nation’s prisons into reformation centers rather than mere detention facilities.
“The responsibility falls on you, Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie, to lead the charge in transforming our prisons into true centres of reformation and not just a place for incarceration. You have my full support in this mission,” he stated.
Baffoe-Bonnie’s appointment is expected to bring a fresh perspective to the Ghana Prisons Service, driving reforms and improvements in the country’s correctional facilities.
Her leadership will focus on reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration, building on her previous experience as Chief Legal Officer and Director of Prisons Health, Technical & Services.
The swearing-in ceremonies for Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, the acting Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), and Samuel Basentale Amadu, the acting Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), have been postponed due to procedural differences in the appointment processes of the respective services.
