News
“Wele” business booms at Tema
Cowhide or cow skin popularly known as “wele” in the local parlance is one of the highly patronised delicacies by the public.
It is mostly sold by waakye (rice and beans) sellers and banku with okro stew or soup sellers.
A “wele factory” is doing well in the Tema West Municipality around the “Underbridge” Market at Adjei Kojo in the Greater Accra Region.
It is being manned by a 42-year-old Alfred Tetteh who says he has been in the business of processing wele for 26 years though he is less than a year old in the Tema West Municipality.
Every day of the week, trucks, tricycles and vehicles troop to the place to take their stock for further processing and distribution to the various markets centres.
In an interview with “The Spectator”, Mr. Tetteh said he learnt the skill of preparing wele as an apprentice for three years at Teshie, a suburb of Accra.
He said “it takes someone three years in ther wele business to undergo apprenticeship just like learning any other trade like carpentry, hair dressing, welding, sewing etc.
He said a beginner was admitted and trained on rolling of the cowhide (just like a woolen carpet is rolled) and observing also how the process takes place.
He said the apprentices, wearing thick hand gloves (to protect their hands from fire and other possible dangers) would roll the cowhides because they were usually brought to the warehouse looking flat.
Mr. Tetteh said the cowhides were imported from Kenya, Mauritania, Guinea, Egypt and other African countries and he received as many as about 2,000 pieces of consignment at a time.
He described the wele business as lucrative but tiresome which needed a lot of commitment.
The 42-year-old said he had employed three people aside his several apprentices and supplied to about 15 regular clients from Ashaiman, Kasoa, Teshie and Accra Central, apart from the many others who also prepared the cowhide for further sale to traders who sold them at many other markets.
Going through the process of preparing the cowhide into wele, he said he and his team could work at anytime including as early as 2am, depending on the demand by his clients.
Reacting to a question why he uses logs not car tyres, for singeing, he described the latter as dangerous and a threat to human health.
As to why some of the wele are hard and others soft, he explained that the soft wele was from bulls while the hard wele from cow.
Mr. Tetteh said his wife also traded in wele and the business had helped them to take care of themselves and their children.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
