President John Dramani Mahama has committed GHS100 million in the 2027 Budget to complete the abandoned remand prison block at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison next year.
The facility is intended to provide separate accommodation for remand prisoners who have not been convicted of any offence. The President announced the allocation on Saturday at the second induction service of Reverend Stephen Yenusom Wengam as General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana.
The President said Reverend Wengam, through his work with the Prisons Council, had drawn attention to the practice of housing remand prisoners alongside convicted inmates. President Mahama said it was inappropriate to keep people awaiting trial in the same environment as those convicted of criminal offences. Construction of the facility began during his previous administration but stalled after it left office.
The President commended Rev. Wengam for his work to improve the welfare and rehabilitation of vulnerable people, particularly through his leadership of the Prisons Council and initiatives at the Nsawam facility. He also acknowledged his service as Chairman of the Lordina Foundation from 2017 to 2022.
The Church’s contributions to education, healthcare and community welfare complemented government efforts to improve citizens’ lives.
President Mahama urged religious institutions to sustain such interventions and appealed to the Assemblies of God, Ghana, to continue praying for his government and offering constructive counsel. In his address, Rev. Wengam said the Church had planted 2,077 congregations in four years, increasing its membership from 812,254 to about 1.2 million.
He said it had built 177 legacy temples since 2024 to provide suitable places of worship for congregations previously meeting under trees, in sheds and other unsuitable structures.
Rev. Wengam said the Church’s transformation agenda, which included infrastructure development and improved welfare for pastors, was intended to strengthen the institution ahead of its centenary in 2031. He said plans were also underway for a centenary city project, including an international congress centre with a seating capacity of about 6,000.
The project would be developed on 137 acres of land donated by a non-member of the Church, with architectural designs already completed.