Isaac Egyir retires from Prisons Service after 29 years of service

Personnel of the Ghana Prisons Service have been urged to uphold professionalism, dis­cipline, and a spirit of service as they work to leave behind legacies worth emulating.The call was made during a pull-out ceremony held on Monday in Accra in honour of the outgo­ing Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mr Isaac Kofi Egyir, after a successful 29 years of service.A pull-out ceremony is a traditional security service event that symbolically marks the formal exit of a senior officer from active service.

In a sermon delivered on behalf of the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Prof. Paul K.



Boafo, it was emphasised that leadership is a divine responsibility and those who serve well should be honoured accordingly.Taking his text from 1 Samuel 7:12, the Bishop referenced the biblical account of Samuel raising a stone and naming it Ebenezer, signifying “thus far the Lord has brought us.” He likened the ceremo­ny to that stone of remembrance, a moment to reflect on Mr Egyir’s journey and the mark he leaves behind.

He added that assuming leadership comes with battles and scrutiny—success earns praise while failure invites ridicule. “But to the glory of God, Mr Egyir has run a successful race and fought a good fight. What remains now is for him to receive his crown,” he stated, ref­erencing Psalm 126 and Philippians 2:20 to underscore faithfulness and diligence in service.

Furthermore, the Bishop challenged personnel to consider what “stone of remembrance” they are also setting during their active service, so that future generations could remember them for their positive contributions, asking that “When the history of the Service is being told, how will you be men­tioned?”Delivering his farewell remarks, Mr Isaac Kofi Egyir expressed deep gratitude to God, the State, and all stakeholders for their support throughout his 29-year journey in the Service, nearly three and a half of which he served as Director General.Quoting Ecclesiastes 3:1, Mr Egyir said: “Today marks the end of my journey in the Ghana Prisons Service and the beginning of a new chapter in my life.”Reflecting on his tenure, Mr Egyir highlighted several reforms and projects undertaken during his leadership, including restructuring the Prisons Directorate by separat­ing the previously merged units of Finance and Administration and Services and Technical into four dis­tinct departments: Finance, Admin­istration, Services, and Technical.

He mentioned that the cre­ation of a Multilateral Relations Unit brought significant benefits to the Service in areas such as rehabilitation, safe custody, and inmate welfare.According to him, through this unit’s efforts, the Ghana Educa­tion Trust Fund (GETFund) pro­vided support for the construction of a 5,000-capacity poultry project at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, to enhance food produc­tion and improve the nutritive value of inmate meals.He added that inmate educa­tion also saw significant improve­ments, with many progressing from junior high school through to tertiary education, adding that in partnership with the Universi­ty of Cape Coast, 63 inmates at Nsawam recently graduated with bachelor’s degrees, a feat Mr Egyir described as a milestone in inmate rehabilitation and reformation.

He, however, acknowledged that the journey was not without setbacks, pointing out that there were instances of misconduct and absenteeism, which were met with firm disciplinary action to deter future occurrences.BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANGThe post Isaac Egyir retires from Prisons Service after 29 years of service appeared first on Ghanaian Times..