The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has launched the Prisons Agro-Support and Empowerment (PASE) Project at the Tarkwa Local Prison to strengthen food security and equip more than 340 inmates with practical agricultural skills to support their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
As part of the initiative, the Foundation is supporting the expansion of the prison’s oil palm plantation from 30 acres to 50 acres through an investment of more than GH¢140,000.
The project seeks to provide inmates and prison officers with hands-on training in oil palm cultivation, plantation management, crop husbandry and sustainable farming practices while increasing the prison’s agricultural output.
To establish and maintain the additional 20-acre plantation, the Foundation donated a range of farming inputs, including 1,400 Tenera oil palm seedlings, 141 bags of NPK fertiliser, 200 bags of organic compost, 36 containers of glyphosate weedicide, 10 knapsack sprayers, 20 cutlasses and 10 pairs of wellington boots.
According to the Foundation, the PASE Project is intended to transform agriculture into a tool for socio-economic empowerment and self-reliance, while contributing to the rehabilitation of inmates through the acquisition of employable farming skills.
The Foundation said the initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
As part of its long-term vision for the project, the Foundation is also considering the establishment of an on-site oil palm processing centre to enhance value addition and reduce the prison’s dependence on external suppliers for processing.
The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation noted that it has invested more than US$7.48 million in enterprise development initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods in its host communities.
The launch of the PASE Project forms part of the Foundation’s broader commitment to supporting community development through agriculture, skills development and economic empowerment.
