Ghana's President, John Evans Atta Mills has given the assurance that his government would resource the Electoral Commission (EC) to put in place mechanisms that would enable prison inmates to exercise their franchise.

He said prison inmates have the right to exercise their franchise and that the government and the EC would abide by the Supreme Court ruling on the issue.

President Mills gave the assurance when he inaugurated the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison in the Central Region Ghana. He also cut the sod for the commencement of the second phase of the Prison project.

The first phase which was started in 1998 has a 2,000 inmates capacity, an administration block, modern clinic with beds, six blocks of inmates dormitories with modern toilet and ablution facilities, well equipped kitchen, sports and recreational facilities, biogas plant as well as two- bedroom and three-bedroom staff accommodation for officers. The second phase would comprise a training workshop, chapel and a mosque.

He called on Prison officers to treat the inmates with care and love, which he said would help transform them and make it easier for them to be integrated into the society.

Dr. Benjamin Kunbour, Ghana's Minister of the Interior expressed the need for Ghana Prisons Service to be fully resourced to enable it take care of inmates.
He also expressed concern about the overcrowding in the prisons stressing that the current prisons population stood at 13,426 instead of 7,875 and suggested alternative ways such as non-custodial sentences for offenders.

Dr. Kunbour called for a holistic approach to solve the problems, saying, everything would be done to ensure the passage of the alternative imprisonment bill.

Mr. Michael Kofi Bansah, Acting Director General of Prison commended the government for providing the Ankaful Prison facility which he stressed would go a long way to ease the congestion in other prisons.

Meanwhile,The Electoral Commission of Ghana is putting in place measures to register prisoners to enable them vote in the 2012 general elections.

The chairman of the EC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan confirmed to on Ghana's Citi Fm ,Citi News on Wednesday that his outfit is respecting a Supreme Court ruling that gave the green light for inmates to exercise their franchise.

"I can assure you that prisoners will vote in 2012," Dr. Afari-Gyan stated. "It doesn't require special money for prisoners to vote. We'll register them and register them as we register anybody."

"People who are worried let them worry about it."

Dr. Afari-Gyan said the prisoners will be registered under the biometric voters' register.

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