President John Dramani Mahama has opened a new chapter of hope for nearly a thousand prisoners across Ghana after granting them amnesty on Monday, August 18, 2025. The gesture, carried out in accordance with Article 72(1) of the Constitution, was made on the advice of the Prisons Service Council and in consultation with the Council of State.
In all, 998 prisoners out of a total of 1,014 recommended were freed or had their sentences reduced. The categories of beneficiaries cut across first-time offenders, the elderly, nursing mothers, the gravely ill, and even inmates who had appealed directly to the presidency.
The largest number of beneficiaries, 787 first-time offenders, will now walk out of prison with a second chance at life. For those once facing death, the President offered reprieve: 87 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. In a similar fashion, 51 life sentences were reduced to a definite term of 20 years, creating a path toward eventual freedom.
The exercise also extended mercy to society’s most vulnerable. Thirty-three inmates classified as seriously ill were released, while 36 prisoners aged over 70 were granted clemency irrespective of their crimes. Two nursing mothers were pardoned, ensuring that they could return to their families and raise their children outside the prison environment. Additionally, two petitioners who had appealed for mercy were successful in their pleas.
Announcing the decision, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, explained: “President John Dramani Mahama has, upon the recommendation of the Prisons Service Council and in consultation with the Council of State and in accordance with Article 72(1) of the Constitution, granted amnesty to Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight (998) prisoners.”
The act of clemency comes at a time when Ghana’s prisons face growing concerns of congestion and limited resources. Beyond easing the burden on the correctional system, the amnesty is also seen as a demonstration of compassion, offering inmates the opportunity to rebuild their lives and rejoin their communities.
For many families across the country, the President’s gesture is more than a legal action it is the return of loved ones and the beginning of healing after years of separation.
