The Ghana Football Association (GFA), through its GFA Foundation, has donated football equipment and logistics to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison in the Eastern Region.

This initiative is part of the GFA Foundation-Ghana Prisons Project, which aims to leverage the power of football to promote the wellbeing, welfare, reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of prison inmates into society.

The Director of the GFA Foundation, Malcolm Frazier Appeadu, led a delegation to present the items, which included jerseys, footballs, goalkeepers’ gloves, football hose, whistles, and caution cards (yellow and red cards).

The Nsawam Medium Security Prison is the fifth recipient of these donations, following the Senior Correctional Centre (Borstal Home) in the Greater Accra Region, Sunyani Male and Female Prisons in the Bono Region, Akuse Local Prison, and the Winneba Local Prison in the Central Region.

During an interactive session with inmates and officers, Appeadu elaborated on the three pillars of the project: the donation of football items and logistics, coaching and refereeing training programs for inmates and officers, and advocacy workshops to sensitize the public on the negative impact of discrimination and stigmatization of prisons and prisoners.

He encouraged inmates to change their attitudes and avoid returning to prison once released, emphasizing the importance of their contributions to Ghana's progress and development.

Assistant Director of Prisons Patrick Thomas Seidu, the Acting Eastern Regional Commander of Prisons and the Officer-in-Charge of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, expressed gratitude to the GFA Foundation and its president, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, for the initiative.

He called on other corporate bodies and organizations to follow the GFA Foundation’s example in supporting the less privileged.

The presentation ceremony included a ceremonial match between inmates and officers, which ended in a goalless draw.

Key attendees included Assistant Director of Prisons Andrews Osei, in charge of Operations, Assistant Director of Prisons Nii Armah Aryeetey, PRO of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison DSP Nanavi Solomon, DSP Nana Sarfoh, L/CPL GADRI Selorm Justice from the Public Relations Unit of the Prisons Headquarters, and ASP Naomi Fainusatu Abdulai, Head of Football Teams.

Accompanying the Director of the GFA Foundation were Kwame Koramoah, Emmanuel Osei, and Stephen Saforo from the GFA Head Office.