Managers of prisons and correctional institutions across Africa don talk say meaningful criminal justice reform no fit happen without strong and well-resourced prison and correctional systems wey fit securely manage offenders while dey prepare dem to successfully reintegrate into society.

Dem tok dis one for di just-concluded African Correctional Services Association (ACSA) conference wey hold for Abuja, wey dem organise with di United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Because of di increasing prison population, overcrowding, security concerns, and growing demands for rehabilitation, reforms, and reintegration, di delegates note say technology don become very important for effective management of inmates and institutional security.

Based on dis one, dem call on African governments to reposition correctional services as strategic national institutions, saying say investment for prisons and corrections go eventually help make communities safer, reduce recidivism, and improve public confidence for di administration of justice.

Furthermore, dem recommend say make dem establish dedicated prisons and correctional governance platform inside regional organisations like di African Union (AU), ECOWAS, di Southern African Development Community (SADC), and oda regional blocs.

Participants still propose say make dem create standing committee wey go dey periodically bring together di concerned ministers, heads of correctional services, development partners, and oda key stakeholders to review emerging challenges, harmonise policies, promote regional cooperation, and coordinate continental reforms.

Meanwhile, Nigeria Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, emphasize say technology don become major support pillar, especially for addressing long-standing challenges like jailbreaks, poor inmate records management, delayed case tracking, and ineffective institutional coordination.

As e dey highlight di ongoing transformation for di Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), e explain say di deployment of digital solutions don significantly strengthen custodial security and improve decision-making for correctional facilities, especially as criminal networks continue to adopt more sophisticated methods.

E still challenge African governments to recognise correctional services as essential institutions for public safety, national security, and sustainable development, instead of just seeing prisons as places of confinement.