Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Morie Lengor, has paid an official visit to the Mafanta Correctional Facility in Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone. He was accompanied by the Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service (SLCS), Joseph Senesie, and his deputy, Susan Coker.
During the visit, the minister and his team toured the facility’s agricultural projects and vocational workshops, where inmates are actively involved in farming and livestock rearing. The tour aimed to encourage greater inmate participation in agriculture to support food self-sufficiency at the correctional facility and contribute to the government’s broader Feed Salone initiative.
SLCS Director General Joseph Senesie noted that inmates were already making significant strides in the agricultural sector. He stressed on their involvement in both crop cultivation and livestock rearing, including a piggery and cattle ranch. However, Senesie stressed on the need for increased funding to enable mechanised farming, which would greatly enhance productivity and long-term sustainability.
The minister’s visit also included an inspection of the proposed site for the relocation of the overcrowded Pademba Road Prison. The new site, located in Rolako Village, was generously donated by Paramount Chief Bai Makari and is expected to host a modern correctional facility with improved infrastructure and lower operating costs.
The integration of agricultural programmes within correctional facilities offers inmates meaningful opportunities to learn practical skills, contribute to their own welfare, and reduce the financial burden on the state.
Expanding such initiatives, especially in more spacious environments like Mafanta can transform prisons from overcrowded holding centres into hubs of rehabilitation. Experts believe that the proposed relocation of Pademba Road Prison to Rolako not only promises to ease severe overcrowding but also creates the potential for a modern facility equipped to support farming and vocational training. This shift would mark a significant step forward in creating a more humane, productive, and self-reliant correctional system in Sierra Leone.
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