For over 27 years, Prisoners at the Ahinsan Camp Prison have had to resort to using a dilapidated wooden structure as a place of convenience, which exposed them to all kinds of infectious diseases. Reaffirming its commitment to the health and safety of communities where it operates, Vivo Energy Ghana, the Shell licensee, in partnership with its fuel retailers, have constructed and handed over a 10-seater water closet toilet facility, with an overhead water tank to the Ahinsan Camp Prison in the Adansi District of the Ashanti Region.
This timely intervention by Vivo Energy Ghana and its retailers means that the personal health and safety of inmates is now improved.
The initiative forms part of Vivo Energy Ghana’s Retailer Sustainability Programme, launched to complement the government’s efforts in combating COVID-19 from Ghana and ensuring the decentralisation of developmental support to communities where it operates.
In a speech read on behalf of the Managing Director by the Corporate Communications Manager, Mrs. Shirley Tony Kum, she reiterated the company’s commitment to its communities as a partner in sustainable development.
“Following an engagement and needs assessment with authorities of the prison, it became evident that the inmates needed a decent place of convenience to prevent the outbreak of diseases and promote good health and living conditions. To this effect, we provided the needed funds and materials for the construction of a 10-seater WC facility for Ahinsan Camp Prison and we are happy to commission this facility”, she said.
She further expressed her sincere appreciation to the Shell brand retailers who voluntarily contributed towards the project and the leadership and inmates of the Ahinsan Camp Prison for providing the labour for the construction.
The Station Commander of the Ahinsan Camp Prison, Superintendent Edward Tabi Kokro, said the construction of the toilet facility has ended the over two-decade problem of indecent and unsafe place of convenience for inmates.
“I will like to express my appreciation to Vivo Energy Ghana and it Retailers for bringing this initiative to our door step. I must say that the construction of the facility has ended the long challenge for a decent toilet for inmates. I promise that the washroom will be well maintained to ensure it lasts. The beauty of this is that, it is the handiwork of inmates, under the supervision of officers”, he said.
For her part, the Queen Mother of Ahinsan-Adansi, Nana Tiwaa Kukrubour admitted that, the facility is one of a kind in the township and encouraged the inmates to take good care of the facility and maintain good personal hygiene to minimize the risk of infection in the camp.
Since the launch of the Vivo Energy Retailer Sustainability Programme, various government institutions have benefitted from the programme. They include the National Commission for Civic Education and Effiankwanta Regional Hospital in the Western Region, Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern Region, New Juabeng South Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region, Kenyasi Health Centre, Ejura Sekyedumasi District, and Ahinsan Camp Prison all in the Ashanti Region.