The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education have signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) empowering the Ghana Prisons Service to produce sanitary pads, school uniforms, and furniture for schools across the country.
The initiative, unveiled yesterday at a ceremony in Accra, represents a strategic government effort to integrate education delivery, local manufacturing, value-for-money procurement, and correctional rehabilitation into a single national program.
Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, and Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, signed the agreements, while the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, initialled on behalf of the institution.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak said each MoU included a defined duration, structured implementation arrangement, and a mid-term review scheduled at the 18-month mark. He stressed that these review mechanisms would enable authorities to assess performance, address operational challenges, and refine delivery models to achieve the intended outcomes.
Under the agreements, the Ghana Prisons Service will take on a minimum 30 per cent concession for the production and supply of school furniture, including desks, chairs, and teachers’ tables. The concession will ensure timely supply, quality assurance, and equitable distribution in collaboration with education sector agencies.
A minimum 25 per cent concession has been allocated for the production of sanitary pads as part of the government’s 2025 Free Sanitary Pad distribution initiative, reflecting the administration’s commitment to girls’ education, dignity, and retention in schools.
The third MoU focuses on school uniforms, assigning a minimum 30 per cent production concession to the Ghana Prisons Service to address longstanding shortages in approved school clothing. The uniforms will be produced locally, distributed transparently, and integrated into national education logistics planning.
“These MoUs deliver multiple interlinked outcomes, ensuring value for money and transparency in public procurement while leveraging state-owned industrial systems,” Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak said.
Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie described the initiative as a “dream come true” for the Ghana Prisons Service, emphasizing that it would transform the service from its traditional custodial role to an institution actively engaged in skill development and productive work for inmates. She highlighted that inmates would be trained to operate machinery for sanitary pad production, among other skills.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu described the collaboration as part of the “President Mahama Indigenous Local Industry Initiative,” aimed at growing the local economy. He revealed that the total sanitary pads supplied in 2025 amounted to about 12 million, with plans to increase production to 15–20 million units in the coming years.
On furniture production, Mr. Iddrisu noted that President Mahama had advised against the reliance on wood, urging the use of plastics and recycled materials wherever possible. Regarding uniforms, he suggested expanding production to include sports attire for physical education.
This collaboration marks a significant step in linking correctional rehabilitation with national development goals, while boosting local manufacturing and supporting education across Ghana.
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