GCF, African Cycling Network donate racing bikes to Ghana Prisons Service to launch Security Services Cycling Programme

The Ghana Cycling Federation (GCF), in collaboration with the African Cycling Network Satellite, has presented four Sports Racing Bicycles to the Ghana Prisons Service—marking the formal start of a national drive to establish competitive cycling teams within the country’s security agencies.

The handover, led by GCF Secretary General Shaaban Mohammed, is the first phase of a broader initiative aimed at building a structured cycling framework for the Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Police Service, and Ghana Armed Forces, with the ultimate goal of fielding teams for African and global competitions.

Speaking at the donation ceremony, Mohammed noted that Ghana currently lacks a dedicated security services cycling team, despite such squads being a staple of continental and international security games.

“Security services games are organised annually across Africa, but Ghana has so far only sent officials as observers,” he said. “Ghana cares and is involved in all aspects of sports—cycling should not be left out.”

He described the donation as a deliberate first step toward integrating the Prisons Service, Police Service, and Armed Forces into organised cycling, adding that the federation identified potential talent within the Prisons Service after observing officers cycling alongside professional riders during a Parkinson’s disease awareness event in Legon.

Several of those officers, Mohammed revealed, already cover distances of 40 to 50 miles on their own initiative—convincing the federation that a viable talent pool exists and is worth developing.

Beyond competition, Mohammed said a formal cycling pathway within the security services could serve as a powerful recruitment tool, encouraging young people to pursue serious training with the prospect of a career in the services.

“If the youth are not being taken care of, we don’t have a future country,” he stressed.

Receiving the bicycles, Deputy Director of Prisons Fiifi Dontoh, who oversees procurement, welcomed the gesture and acknowledged that while the service already participates in football, boxing, and athletics, cycling has remained an informal activity among interested officers.

He said the donation now enables the service to formalise training and build a competitive team capable of representing the Prisons Service in internal meets and, eventually, in national colours.

Mohammed added that the Ghana Police Service and Armed Forces are also in the process of forming cycling teams, but the Prisons Service is the first to receive equipment support. He expressed hope that the initiative would inspire the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and other security agencies to launch their own programmes, thereby elevating the profile of cycling nationwide.

On behalf of the Prisons Service, Dontoh thanked the GCF and the African Cycling Network Satellite for the donation, calling it an invitation into the cycling fraternity that the service intends to honour by nurturing genuine competitive talent among its officers.