Anglophone Cameroon Research Articles

Transitional Justice in Anglophone Cameroon: Perspectives and lessons from South Africa and Rwanda

Transitional Justice in Anglophone Cameroon: Perspectives and lessons from South Africa and Rwanda

Civil Conflict’s Impact on the Pursuit of Inclusivity, Safety, Resilience and Sustainability in Anglophone Cities of Cameroon

Cities are increasingly becoming sites where violence and conflict thrive. In the African continent, civil conflict has been rife, with cities not only being targets but also hosts to civil unrest. Since 2016, Anglophone (English-speaking) cities in Cameroon have been host to a civil conflict that has had devastating impacts on the socio-economic well-being of the Anglophone regions, impeding efforts to achieve sustainable development goal 11 (SDG 11), related to inclusivity, safety, resilience and sustainability in Anglophone cities. Moreover, the conflict has deepened the divide between the Anglophone and Francophone populations, making peaceful coexistence between them increasingly difficult. Utilising a content analysis methodological approach, this paper examines the Anglophone Cameroon civil conflict through the lens of urban sustainability, looking to unravel how the conflict has affected efforts towards pursuing SDG 11 in Anglophone cities. The paper argues that civil conflict has robbed Anglophone cities of the required ingredient of socio-economic and political stability necessary for SDG 11 to thrive, and unless the civil conflict is curbed and a stable peace attained, the pursuit of inclusivity, safety, resilience and sustainability in Anglophone cities would be a futile venture. This paper recommends the establishment of a comprehensive approach to resolve the conflict in a way that considers the root causes of the conflict, as well as measures to foster urban sustainability in Anglophone cities. When this is done, it would be more feasible to attain inclusivity, safety, resilience, and sustainability in Anglophone cities.

Legal Protection of Linguistic Minority under Discrimination: The Case of Anglophone Cameroon

The minority English-speaking population in Cameroon, where French is the majority language, has a number of political, economic, and social complaints that collectively make up the "Anglophone problem." These grievances are described using the terms discrimination, marginalization, and second-class citizenship. The right to speak English in Cameroon must always be upheld as a fundamental right. To protect the rights of minorities, Cameroon has established a number of laws. Since Cameroon and many other countries have ratified a number of human rights instruments, it is the state's duty to safeguard all the rights guaranteed by these instruments, including those of minorities. As demonstrated by the current crisis, another escalation in that cycle, there are several political systemic deficiencies that need to be closed if Cameroon is to grow as a single nation. Greater localized control over political and financial resources might be necessary to achieve this. In order to better serve the needs of citizens, existing institutions and leadership structures must become more accommodating.

The Anglophone Crisis and Low Voter Turnout in Anglophone Cameroon in the 2018 Presidential Elections

The international political system has radically changed in the last three decade. During this era the global political system has witnessed the enfranchisement of more voters across geographical, racial and socio-economic boundaries than ever before. With the growing trend of democracy, voter turnouts keep fluctuating. Since the return of multiparty elections in 1990, Cameroon has been experiencing a downward trend in voter turnout. With voter apathy being on the rise in Cameroon, the 2018 Presidential elections were no different nationally, but it was more glaring in the Anglophone regions with extremely low turnout. The presidential elections coincided with the onset of the Cameroonian civil war in Anglophone Cameroon, with separatist fighters and the Cameroon government forces fighting over the self-determination and political future of Anglophone Cameroon. This study sought to ascertain the link between the Anglophone crisis and the low voter turnout in the Anglophone regions. The study relied on both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources will mainly be gotten through telephone interviews and personal observations. Secondary data from books, journal article, newspapers, reports and possible interviews on election issues in Cameroon. Findings show that the Anglophone crisis and separatist threats played a role in low voter turnout, alongside voting age and voter disillusionment. The low voter turnout in the Anglophone regions creates a question of legitimacy of those elections and it is recommended that a resolution of the conflict would help improve the situation of voter apathy in Anglophone Cameroon ahead of the upcoming 2025 Presidential and 2026 Municipal and parliamentary Elections.

Prospects and Challenges of the Protection of Humanitarian Relief Workers in the Underway Armed Conflicts in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon

The protection of humanitarian relief workers in armed conflict cannot be overemphasized, this protection existed many decades ago although it became known and universally recognized only with the emergence of landmark conventions like the 1864 Geneva Convention, the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and a plethora of other conventions geared at protecting humanitarian relief workers. The purpose of the study is to unravel the prospects and challenges of the protection of humanitarian relief workers in the Anglophone Cameroon Armed Conflicts and giving possible recommendations geared at improving the protection mechanism. The study uses the qualitative research methodology, employing primary data sources from vital conventions like the 1864 Geneva Convention, the 1949 Geneva Conventions with a host of other conventions. Secondary data came from textbooks, journal articles, reports, and newspapers. The study is underpinned by the triple-pronged theory and the human needs theory. The findings in the study reveals blatantly that the protection of humanitarian relief workers in the Anglophone Cameroon armed conflicts is abysmal and needs serious intervention irrespective of the fact Cameroon has ratified all the relevant conventions in the protection of same. As a corollary, there is need therefore to reinforce the government institutions, improve security and a host of other measures geared at improving the protection of humanitarian relief workers in Cameroon.

A Re-Think of a True Identity in Embracing and Practicing Western Culture(s) and Religion as Typical Bakweri, Manyu and Ugare people of the Anglophone Cameroon

Purpose: Western Education and Christian religion foundations and developments in Africa in general and Cameroon in Particular were laid and developed on African traditional education and religious practices and beliefs. Unfortunately, African traditional education, religious belief system and practices were brandished by colonial masters and Missionaries who introduced western education and Christian religious practices as fetish, uncivilized and paganic. All these allegations were from the stranger’s perspectives. Regrettably, those who engaged into the study of western education and practices of western religion were forced to upgrade foreign education and religious practices and beliefs over against African education and religious beliefs and practices. All these led to a false identity, religious practices, educational norms and values development on those who practice the western system of education and religious development. Consequently, some of the cherished Cameroonian cultural practices, religious beliefs and traditional education are fast dying out. It is for this reasons that this paper sought to address and revisit cultural beliefs and religious practices of some tribes of the Anglophone Cameroon. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the cultural practices that are educative, promote cherish values and norms and demonstrate the strength of the Bakweri, Manyu and Ugare cultural practices and belief for today’s children of the Anglophone Cameroon who have embraced western education and western religion over against our valued education and informative cultures and religion.
 Materials and Methods: The methodology is qualitative with the use of ethnography as design. Data were collected interviews, primary and secondary sources. and interviews.
 Findings: From the content analysis, the conclusion arrived at is that because the Bakweri Manyu and Ugere traditional education and cultural practices and beliefs are unique, other religions and educations should learn from the richness of these indigenous practices.
 Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Though western education is good, Christianity, western education and cultural traditional beliefs and practices should work hand in glove for a better society. Before the coming of Christianity, the cultural beliefs and practices of the Bakweri, Manyu and Ugere had long existed. The people were aware of the existence of the Supreme Being and Christian religion should not consider them as fetish and paganic. The study suggests a model of educating the young generation on the traditional education and cultural practices of the Bakeri, Manyu and Ugere people. The home is the center whereby, cultural values should disseminated to the churches, schools and community.

In-group Unity in Anglophone Cameroon's Separatist Discourse. Strategies and Means of Realization

The present paper is the result of a scientific venture into the discursive construction of separatism in Cameroon’s English-speakingregions, which separatists refer to as Southern Cameroons or Ambazonia. My study aims specifically at identifying the linguistic and rhetorical strategies separatist leaders use in order to create a sense of unity amongst all English-speaking Cameroonians and make them join the fight for independence. To achieve this aim, I have analysed speeches authored between 2010 and 2015 by two Anglophone Cameroonian separatist leaders. The analysis of the speeches, which followed the Discourse Historical Approach (Wodak et al. 2009), reveals that Southern Cameroonian nationalists try to achieve unity by resorting to strategies such as nomination, predication, and argumentation through topoi. These strategies were realised by means of linguistic resources including lexicon, imperatives, deontic and epistemic modals.

Paradigm Shifts in the Judiciary and Punishment of Criminals in Anglophone Cameroon: The Indigenous and Colonial Account

Anglophone Cameroon is an area conterminous with the present-day North and South Western Regions of the Republic of Cameroon that were colonized by Britain from 1922-61. It is presently inhabited by about 4 million people emerging from approximately more than 50 tribal units and several clans. These heterogeneous ethnic entities were /are pronged into one by a shared colonial history (German 1884-1916 and British,1916—61).The former initiated the eradication of pristine judicial and punishment systems within this niche and the latter established a relative dual system based on mutual consent and/or sacrifice. This area has undergone transmutations with changing nomenclatures and configurations in all dimensions with that of the judiciary and punishments of criminals and criminality topping the chart. 1 All of these developments have shaped the habits of the indigenous folks completely eradicating some and repositioning others to suit the changing realities. The judicial system along with its application of punishment as a deterrent to crime or non-conformity with the law is at the epicentres of this paradigmatic shift which this article is all about. From the analysis of primary and secondary evidence combed through qualitative data collection methods, this paper examines the shifts in the judiciary and crime occasioned by transmutation within this historical niche. It has answered questions like (a) how was the judicial system in the area presently named Anglophone Cameroon prior to the German protectorate and what were the indigenous conceptions of crime here (b)How did the Germans appreciate and influenced this judiciary and punishment of those who violated the Law as well as(c), the paradigm negotiated and established by the British colonial imprints along with its lasting impact after independence? It is a contribution not only to judicial historiography but also to changing landscape of justice and crime in Africa as defined by colonial im

Armed Violence and the Desecration of Traditional Authorities and Emblems in Anglophone Cameroon

Violence tops the chart of key Security challenges that have provided anxious moments to governments at local, national, and international levels in the 21 st Century. While protests and other civic engagements are basic requirements for vibrant democracies and governance, armed violence from criminals and militia on various counts has not only multiplied but grown to impose new and quite exacting security concerns, especially for African countries already hunted by heavy debt burden, hunger, strife and other forms of troubles. It is easy to understand violence against the state or any other organized system as a response to poor governance and mismanagement since all of them combine to nurture or implant grievances in some groups and people but it is difficult to understand why armed groups will turn to exert violence on its own established traditional authorities and Institutions which they have held for long as custodians of anything that protects their wellbeing. This paper has a mission to examine how armed violence has desecrated and repeatedly toyed with both the traditional authorities (Fons, Chiefs, Lamidos, notables) and insignia that formed the nucleus of traditional private and public elegance in the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon prior to and during the violent phase of the war of secession that has been raging the Cameroon political economy since 2017. The arguments sustained plus submissions of this paper are a product of scrutiny of the synchrony of data gleaned from primary, secondary, and other sources. After presenting the context of the study which critically engages the issues and background required for an understanding of the key matters in discourse, we argue that(a) the desecration or practice of violence on traditional authorities and their insignia in Anglophone Cameroon has destroyed the key elements of hope that bonded not only people but also the segments/regiments of the society together, (b) such macabre action

O.6.2-8 Enforcing physical education in the official examinations in Anglophone Cameroon

Abstract Purpose Cameroon has two main educational systems: English and French, which have a colonial heritage. The controversy is that each educational sub-system has its own curriculum. In the French-speaking part of the country, sports and physical education are mandatory for obtaining the CEPE, Baccalaureate, and any other public examination. In the English-speaking part, sports and physical education are yet to be included in the curriculum. The goal of this policy paper is to change the narrative of the curriculum of public examinations in Cameroon's anglophone educational sub-system by following the example of the country's French part. This policy paper targets curriculum developers, the General Certificate of Education Board, and the Ministries of Education. What will be innovative is that students from English-speaking Cameroon will also be included in sports activities at an early age. Project or policy description Development: We used the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) to collect data at the ministries of education, the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, 197 public schools, and 204 health care facilities. Content analysis, ethnographic studies, and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis are used to assess why average French-speaking Cameroonians have a longer life span, are physically active, and participate in more high-level sports than their English-speaking counterparts. The Cameroon Government Certificate (GCE) of Education Board is in charge of putting this project into action. Sports and physical education should be required courses for both the ordinary and advanced levels of the GCE. We will implement the process and conduct an impact assessment. With the process evaluation, we will monitor if the program is meeting the intended goals. The impact evaluation will give a broader view of the outcome of the program. Conclusions When this policy is put into place, the English-speaking part of Cameroon will have HEPA and be pushed to be as healthy and fit as the French-speaking part.

Guns (Fire Arms) from Men at Home to Boys in the Bush in the Bamenda Grass Field: A Diagnosis of the Ongoing Armed Conflict Experience

The protracted claim of marginalization, subjugation, neglect, and disregard by individuals and political groups in the part of the Republic of Cameroon that was colonized by Britain known as Anglophone Cameroon metamorphosed into an armed rebellion in 2017. This came as a result of confused talks /dialogue sessions between the Cameroon government and the Anglophones Teachers/Lawyers trade Unions in Bamenda. While the Cameroon government played for time to implement the resolutions of the talks, the self-appointed leaders of the Anglophone communities who had been beating the drums of War on all social media platforms from their safe hoods in the Diaspora lost their patience and ordered an all recruitment of boys and girls into an army which went by different appellations. Without adequate preparations for War either in the dimension of training, money, or weaponry, so many people in Anglophone Cameroon were both persuaded and brainwashed to abandon their daily chores to join the ranks of the make-shift fighting scouts; amba militia that went by a myriad of appellations. The recruits profited from the chaos and disorder to seize guns that formed the nucleus of nobility, honour, and wealth of the people of the grass fields and took these arms of honour to their camps mostly in the bushes to carry out the War assignments. The prime target of the make shift militia as heralded by this deeply aggrieved faction of the English-speaking Cameroon was to secure a quick victory over the Cameroon army and agencies thereby, liberating Anglophone Cameroon from what they called colonization, domination, marginalization or, or imperialism. Guns at home in the Grass fields before 2017 were kept by dignified individuals mainly titled and wealthy men. The gun culture that reigned then was regulated both by a sort of intrinsic morale that formed a pattern of prestige and social effervescence beyond common compare but their mass seizure by these hurriedly formed boys under the guise of rage and furry became a source of worry and danger to the social, political and material wellbeing of the people within this niche. This paper has exploited primary and secondary sources to underscore the trouble encountered by this unfortunate guns shift from the houses to the bushes in the Bamenda grass fields. It argues that the guns at home and with dignified men served purposes that were for the most part peaceful and defensive but those in the bushes simply inaugurated an age of violence and wanton destruction uncommon to the grass fielders in all its historical time scale.

The reception of OHADA law in anglophone Cameroon: appraisal and proposals

Abstract This article assesses the extent to which the law under the Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA) has been received in anglophone Cameroon after 26 years of existence, with specific focus on the Fako judicial division.1 With regard to the tenets of qualitative research, it is observed that, from the viewpoint of the legal reception technique, it is indisputable that OHADA law has been infused into the English-speaking legal system in Cameroon through legal techniques of transposition. Through the use of interviews and questionnaires as our research tools, it is revealed that this reception remains limited because most judicial actors still find it difficult to implement legislation that they have not yet mastered. Linguistic issues and the difficulties faced in accessing the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration based in Ivory Coast in Abidjan on OHADA-related matters are serious obstacles to its effective implementation. This situation has been worsened by the poor articulation of clichés that tend to radically oppose OHADA law compared to common law principles. This article tries to deconstruct the ideas received as it shows some of the similarities in the substantive law under the two systems and consequently advocates on this basis the idea that efforts be made to familiarize common law jurists with the content of OHADA law. The article recommends that linguistic issues be tackled by OHADA lawmakers right from the stage of legal drafting by using drafting techniques that will reduce the feeling that the common law is being neglected. For uniform acts yet to be translated, the translation process should associate experts in comparative law to enable the use of appropriate legal language in translation from French into English. Only such efforts will entice the common law African countries that are still hesitating to join OHADA law and, by so doing, will render investment in Africa more attractive.

The Extent of the Application of English Laws in the Cameroonian Legal System

The decisive events which made the introduction of English laws possible in Cameroon were the arrival of European traders, the activities of European missionaries and the introduction of the English legal system by the British Government. The arrival of these Europeans introduced certain new practices and institutions which the traditional laws of the country, particularly customary law could not cope with. Besides, the Europeans themselves were not prepared to be bound by tribal laws since the type of society to which the law and custom was appropriate was totally different from the type of society in which they (Europeans) had been brought up. After the 1st World War, Cameroon ceased to be a German Protectorate following her defeat and was thus administered by Great Britain and France under the League of Nations Mandate and subsequently under the United Nations Trusteeship Agreement. By Article 9 of the Mandate Agreement, the laws of the administering authorities were to be transplanted into Cameroon. Article 9 thus provided the basis and officially marked the beginning of the duality of Western legal systems which the people of Cameroon have since experienced and to which they remain subject to till this day. The Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1890 was also very important and served as the enabling statute that led to the introduction and observance of English law in Southern Cameroons. The English common law, the doctrines of equity and the statutes of general application which were in force in England on the 1st day of January 1900 were then transplanted in Anglophone Cameroon viz s. 11 of the Southern Cameroons High Court Law, 1955. However, neither the statutes in England on the 1st day of January 1900, nor common law and the doctrines of equity apply in Cameroon without limitations. They are subject to local limits and circumstances. In this 21st Century, the laws of a colonial power particularly the statutes of general application should not apply again to an independent nation like Cameroon and thus should be repealed and replaced with local legislation. The Executive and Legislature should thus ensure compliance while the Government is called upon to hasten and complete the harmonization process of the common law and the civil law in a bid to give the country a unified/uniform legal system.

Patterns of Code-switching in Multilingual Anglophone Cameroon Pop Music

Though contemporary Anglophone Cameroonian pop music songs are American-oriented with rhythmic characteristics of R&B, Rap and hip hop, they essentially display multiculturalism through code-switching, qualifying them as purely Cameroonian lyrics. This paper seeks to describe the patterns of combination of codes during code-switching and demonstrate that a typical Anglophone Cameroonian contemporary pop music singer performs in two or three categories of languages, namely, official languages (English and / or French); pidgins (Cameroon Pidgin English and/ or Camfranglais) and indigenous language(s) which could be the artist’s mother tongue or simply another Cameroonian home language. The data for this paper consist of sixty Cameroonian popular songs performed by twenty Anglophone Cameroonian artists. The data were descriptively analysed using the qualitative and quantitative methods. The paper validates that code-switching in Anglophone Cameroon Pop music consists of bilingual, trilingual, quadrilingual and pentalingual code-switching patterns with Pidgin English as the dominant language that cuts across all patterns of combination. The paper concludes that multilingual display, which stands as a sine qua non in Anglophone Cameroon contemporary pop music lyrics, manifests itself mostly through code-switching andt permits artists to connect with multiple linguistic and tribal groups of people to pass through their message(s), to the widest possible audience, and communicate their emotions while, at the same time, enhancing aesthetics.

When Harmonization Crosses the Red Line: Interrogating the Post-1972 Common Law Ethnocide in Anglophone Cameroon

When Harmonization Crosses the Red Line: Interrogating the Post-1972 Common Law Ethnocide in Anglophone Cameroon

Speech Acts and Communication Practices in Anglophone Cameroon Women Associations’ Interactions

This study set out to explore the illocutionary forces of communicative acts and their functions in group interactions of some selected women associations from the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon. It also explored the extent to which the illocutionary acts used during groups events mirror women's communication practices. Through collective case design, with random and purposeful sampling techniques, non-participant observation, unstructured, open-ended interviews, audio recorded events of two categories of women associations (faith-based, consisting of Catholic Women’s Association and Christian Women Fellowship, and development-based, consisting of One Hand Cannot Tie a Bundle, Cameroon Gatsby Foundation and Biwon Self-Reliance Farmers’ and Traders’ Union) were explored through content analysis. The findings of this study reveal that interactions in Anglophone Cameroon women’s gatherings are not only geared towards the content of the talk but members’ feelings and welfare are also taken into consideration. Illocutionary acts such as invitations, requests and advice (directives), and greetings, offers, rejoicing and appreciations (expressives) were frequently used. However, threats and refusal (commissives), as well as complaints and criticisms (expressives), were equally used, especially in Development-Based events. These illocutionary acts were used to carry out mostly positive reactions and attempted answers to the interaction process, with minimal negative reactions and questions communicative acts, which indicate cooperation, connection, support, closeness and understanding.

Challenges to Indigenous Knowledge Incorporation in Basic Environmental Education in Anglophone Cameroon

The study employed qualitative data to analyse factors influencing efforts to incorporate indigenous knowledge (IK) in basic formal environmental education (EE). Anglophone Cameroon’s education subsystem constitutes the empirical referent; it employed an environmental scanning model (ESM) to identify major historical, economic, social, political, economic, cultural, and technological (HESPECT) factors that influence these efforts. It reveals that the curriculum is devoid of IK. It further found that the factors examined have mixed implications for efforts to institute IK in the curriculum. It concludes that EE in Anglophone Cameroon stands to enormously benefit from the incorporation of IK.

An Appraisal on the Protection of the Rights of Accused Persons Standing Trial before a Competent Court of Law under the Cameroonian Legal System

An accused person, otherwise referred to in French as “le prevenu”, is a person who must appear before the trial court to answer to the charge brought against him whether in respect of a simple offence, a misdemeanor or a felony [1]. The Cameroon Criminal Procedure Code upholds the trial rights of accused persons. The code like the 1996 Constitution of Cameroon provides a platform for the implementation of criminal norms in the country. It also helps protect accused persons from arbitrary and unjust laws and sanctions. The present Criminal Code harmonized the two procedural codes that existed in Francophone and Anglophone Cameroon which were the Code d’Instruction Criminelle, and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance respectively. These trial rights of accused persons are upheld through a legal process by the trial courts of Law in Cameroon. This therefore means that the rights of accused persons are therefore suppose to be treated in a particular way during a criminal trial. These rights embody the right to be given something as well as the right to be allowed to do something in a specific manner. Adopting purely qualitative research method involving purely content analysis of cases and relevant statutes, this paper conclude that the government has made efforts in respecting the rights of accused persons standing trial before a competent court of law but its efforts are inadequate. Notwithstanding, finding a compromise between the respects of the rights of accused persons standing trial before a competent court of law with societal interest has never been a trouble-free assignment. To this end, the paper seeks to examine the protection of the rights of accused persons as are confectioned in the criminal procedure code and its extent of implementation as we sought to respond to the main question, to what extent does the Cameroon government guarantee the respect of the rights of accused persons standing trial before a competent court of law?

Matter and manner: A postcolonial reading of Nol Alembong’s The Passing Wind (1991)

This paper sought to examine the role of Anglophone Cameroonian writers who have had a persistent tendency for political and social commitment and change, in connection to the socio-political events of their society. Initially, Anglophone Cameroon writing was an instrument for celebrating the heroic magnificence of Western figures; later it was used for anti-colonial fight back. Presently, it is being used as an authentic weapon for depicting the postcolonial disillusioned state of the nation and other burning issues. In this paper, an effort is made to examine the way “manner” is used to bring out the blazing “matter[s]” in Cameroon, Africa and the world. In an attempt to examine Nol Alembong’s view, selected poems from his collection titled, The Passing Wind, have been used to bring out tangible issues that have plagued Africa as a whole and Anglophone Cameroon in particular. This article adopts the Socio-Artistic Criticism and Marxism as its theoretical perspectives. This theoretical position is important as it focuses not only on the background from which the poems were written, but also pays close attention to the use of literary and linguistic tools in communicating meaning.

Prisons in Anglophone Cameroon: Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Prisoners

The Prison Service in British Southern Cameroons had a constitutional mandate to provide rehabilitation programmes with the goal of transforming the conduct and welfare of prisoners. To deliver this mandate, the Prison Service this article explores the transformation and rehabilitation of prisoners in the British Southern Cameroons prison service which incorporates various types of social and economic activities. The main focus is on the rehabilitation programmes which existed within the prison service between 1922 and 1992. The changes in the laws which necessitated these activities as well as how the prisons were organised to carry out these very important activities are examined. Because of the need to instill inmates with skills and entrepreneurial capacities aimed at facilitating their re-insertion into the society, the correctional institutions moved away from a punitive approach to rehabilitation. This paper discusses the various innovative transformation and rehabilitation programmes that were implemented and designed to enhance the offender’s skills and to encourage their creativity and potentials. In collaboration with missionary societies and other agencies, the government rehabilitated prisoners through various programmes: skills development, psychological services, social work services, and spiritual care. The paper argues that while prisoners left the prison with development skills and knowledge that reduced reoffending and facilitated their reintegration into the community, the increasing number of inmates became over bearing on the resources that the government earmarked for the implementation of rehabilitation programmes.