News
4 in trouble for killing 10-year-old elephant
Four persons are in the grips of the police in the Sissala East Municipality for allegedly killing an elephant.
DSP Gbelle Kumpe, the Municipal Police Commander, told the GNA that the four would be arraigned before court for allegedly killing the elephant at the Gbele Game Reserve.
“There was a report from the Forestry Commission that an elephant was killed and on May 20, 2020, after an investigation, we carried out a raid and 12 persons were arrested and a search conducted revealed the tail of the elephant and other body parts; we also retrieved three guns from them.”
He said the four were alleged to have participated in the killing of the elephant and that the tusk of the elephant was later dumped behind the Bugubelle Police Station.
DSP Kumpe said the four who were currently on police enquiry bail would be sent to Wa for prosecution, if their dockets were ready.
“There is an attack on the forest and its resources and my advice for all, is to stop depleting the forest or else if you get caught you would not be spared,” he said.
DSP Kumpe said the lack of cooperation from the public was disturbing saying, “there is low cooperation from the public and that is the lifestyle of some of the people here, they have the habit of harbouring criminals” and urged all to support the police.
The Park Manager of the Gbele Reserve, Dr Owusu Ansah in an interview said, “It was in connection with the killing of a ten-year-old elephant whose ivory market value could cost $10,000.00, which motivated the poachers to kill the young elephant.”
He said a kilogramme of the ivory is about 2,000 dollars and the ivory recovered is about 20 kilos, and added that “for anybody to kill an elephant the motivation will be to get the ivory sold, which is very valuable.”
Dr Owusu said that “elephant hunting had been banned since 1989; in the past, Ghana had more elephants than Burkina Faso, according to the literature, but we have made the place inhabitable for them due to attacks.”
Sissala area still remains their route into the Nazinga Forest Reserve in Burkina Faso and every year they come around for visit, which hunters take advantage of to kill them. GNA
A former Sec ond Lady, Mrs Matilda Amis sah-Arthur, has called for urgent action to bridge literacy gaps among young girls in the country to advance gender equality.
She stressed that improving lit eracy among girls was essential not only for women’s empowerment but also for national development.
“Addressing the literacy gap is not a woman’s issue. It is a nation al necessity and, with the passing of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, 2024, Ghana is signalling that women belong in leadership, but leadership begins with a book,” she said.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur made the call at an event organised by the Ghana Library Authority (GLA) in Accra yesterday to mark Interna tional Women’s Day (IWD) on the theme: “Her Voice in Libraries: Women Transforming Literacy in Ghana.”
According to her, many girls in Ghana still drop out of school due to poverty, lack of mentorship and limited support systems, warning that without deliberate interven tions some risk becoming part of worrying national statistics.
The former Second Lady encouraged students, particularly girls, to see education not only as a tool for personal advancement but also as a means of empowering future generations.
“Don’t shy away from STEM and ICT subjects. Break into the male-dominated areas and bridge the digital divide,” she added.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur also called for stronger partnerships between men and women in advancing gen der equality, stressing that the issue should be viewed as a national development priority rather than solely a women’s concern.
“Gender equality is not a woman’s issue. It is a development issue. It requires partnership, respect and shared responsibility,” she said.
She further expressed opti mism that with the right support systems, every child, regardless of gender, could achieve their full potential.
In a remark, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Lydia Essuah, said that despite progress made in promoting gender equality in the education sector, challenges remained in ensuring progression, completion and quality learning outcomes for all learners.
She highlighted the important role of libraries in advancing liter acy and lifelong learning skills, and called for increased investment in library infrastructure and services to help build a knowledge-driven society.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Alhassan Ziblim Bentintiche, also under scored the importance of libraries in empowering young people, par ticularly girls, with access to books, digital resources and mentorship opportunities.
He disclosed plans to expand Ghana’s library infrastructure and services to particularly attract the youth and promote literacy.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Management of the Metro Mass Transit Limited has accused the government of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of pursuing what it describes as a “create, loot and share” agenda in the sale of portions of the Opera Square Bus Terminal to a private developer.
The Deputy Managing Director of the company, Haroun Apaw-Wiredu, raised the concerns while speaking to journalists at the Opera Square Bus Terminal in Accra on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
He indicated that the management of Metro Mass Transit would not tolerate any further unauthorized development at the terminal and would take steps to protect the property.
According to him, it would be wrong for a private developer to take control of state property for personal economic gain while the company and the public remain silent.
“How can we sit down and allow a private developer, just for his selfish economic gains, to capture state property for himself? No, we cannot sit down,” he stressed.
Mr Apaw Wiredu called on the public to resist what he described as attempts to take over state assets, adding that such actions would disadvantage ordinary citizens.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we must all stand up. We must all wake up. We must fight this level of brazen looting and attempts to milk the system at the expense of ordinary Ghanaians,” he indicated.
He explained that some individuals had been operating around the terminal for many years and alleged that the developer gained access to the land during the previous administration.
Mr Apaw Wiredu stressed that under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the company would pursue all legitimate means to protect the terminal from what he described as unlawful takeover.
He added that management would use every legal avenue available to defend the property and prevent any attempt to take control of the land without proper authorization.
By: Jacob Aggrey
