The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration Law School has signed an international cooperation agreement with the Dominican Republic government and Fordham University to strengthen prison reform programs and promote human rights.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed through the National Office for Penitentiary Reform Support at the Presidency of the Dominican Republic, took place in the Trinitarios Hall of the National Palace in Santo Domingo. The agreement brings together three institutions committed to transforming justice systems through evidence-based approaches.
Roberto Santana, Presidential Penitentiary Advisor and Head of the Directorate General of Penitentiary and Correctional Services, signed on behalf of the Dominican Republic. Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Dean of the GIMPA School of Law, represented the Ghanaian institution, while Professor Paolo Galizzi signed for the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham University School of Law in New York. Honourable Diana Asonaba Dapaah, former Deputy Minister of Justice of Ghana and GIMPA lecturer, attended the signing ceremony.
The partnership establishes a framework for joint research, academic exchanges, training of prison personnel, and technical assistance to improve the Dominican Republic prison system. The focus prioritizes rehabilitation and effective social reintegration of the prison population.
The agreed areas of cooperation include research on criminal justice and human rights, specialized training for prison and judicial system officials, and the creation of spaces for academic and technical dialogue to promote comparative public policies aimed at reducing the number of pretrial detainees, using Ghana’s experience as a reference, where the pretrial detention rate fell from 68 percent to less than 15 percent in three years.
Dr Agyeman-Budu said Ghana’s success in reducing pretrial detention offers valuable lessons for countries facing similar challenges. The country achieved this dramatic reduction through innovative programs including the Justice for All initiative, which places paralegals in prisons to monitor detainee cases and assist with legal procedures.
The signatory institutions agreed to convene the International Conference on Human Rights, the Penitentiary System, Global Challenges, and Good Practices. This platform will bring together experts from different regions to share experiences, analyze common challenges, and promote sustainable solutions for justice and prison systems.
With an initial term of three years and automatic renewal, the agreement will be implemented through an Interinstitutional Coordination Committee, comprised of representatives from the three signatory entities, responsible for defining lines of action, coordinating projects, and evaluating results. Dr Juan Dionicio Rodríguez, justice coordinator at the National Office for Penitentiary Reform Support, will represent the Dominican side.
This strategic alliance between the National Office for Penitentiary Reform Support, GIMPA, and Fordham University reinforces the Dominican Republic’s commitment to international cooperation and to the implementation of prison policies grounded on human rights, education, and social justice.
The Dominican Republic, a Caribbean nation sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has a population of over 11 million people and a GDP estimated at 124.28 billion United States Dollars in 2024. Ghana’s GDP was worth 82.83 billion United States Dollars in 2024, making the Dominican Republic’s economy significantly larger despite Ghana’s broader regional influence.
The agreement marks another milestone for GIMPA Law School’s international engagement. The institution previously signed a five-year cooperation renewal with the International Criminal Court in December 2024, positioning itself as a leading African institution in international justice education and reform.
