Plans are on track for the second biennial conference of the African Correctional Services Association which will be held in Accra - Ghana in September 2010. This was confirmed by the Executive Committee of African Correctional Services Association (ACSA) during its second teleconference meeting hosted by Correctional Services National Commissioner Tom Moyane of South Africa on 13 July 2010.
The Secretariat of ACSA reported on a resent planning meeting held in Ghana to prepare for the elective conference of the new all Africa corrections body. ACSA was established in 2008 in Zambia in order to, among other things, mainstream corrections and promote transformation and development of prison services across the continent.
The conference will be held from 13 to 17 September 2010 in Accra – Ghana.
The conference will also entertain a number of discussion papers aimed at sharing best practices and experiences on perennial prison challenges of overcrowding, under funding across the board, failing social re-integration and making criminal justice systems work better.The meeting also endorsed engagement of experts from non-governmental organisations and academic institutions in the conference debates.
The Executive Committee of ACSA also took a number of decisions on crucial issues affecting delivery of correctional services across the continent which include:
- Expression of condolences to people of Zambia for their loss of the Acting Commissioner Ms. Daine Nalupya, whose death resulted in the postponement of the ACSA Executive Committee meeting last week. ACSA will also send condolences to the government and people of Uganda who lost 74 lives in a “cowardly bomb attack” of innocent people watching the last FIFA World Cup match in a stadium in Uganda on 11 July 2010;
- South Africa, as Secretariat will start with invitations to the September conference, of even non-ACSA member states across the continent with particular focus on French speaking countries that are not well represented in ACSA. The aim is to expand ACSA membership.
Commissioner Moyane described the meeting as “fruitful” as it did well in preparing for a “watershed conference of a corrections team of Africa”.The meeting was unanimous in condemning the attack of people in Uganda and reiterated its view that “peace is the only way to engender development.”
Commissioner Moyane thanked members of ACSA Executive Committee for a warm welcome to the forum, and undertook to ensure that targets set for the country at the previous meetings are met without delays.Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia as Chairperson of ACSA and South Africa participated in the Executive Committee meeting.
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