Sissalas honour former boss of Gbele Resource Reserve in a send-off ceremony

The former Park Manager of the Gbele Resource Reserve in the Sissala East Constituency, Dr. Nana Owusu Ansah was honored by Sissalas in a send-off ceremony to celebrate him for his distinguished leadership and achievements in the area.

Many public sector workers usually sneak out of their working places when transferred or going on retirement.



This, some attribute to their guilt of not leaving behind any impact or legacy.
Evaluation of public sector workers almost doesn’t exist as many sleep on their jobs and still get paid every month.

This anti-development attitude barely exists in the private sector as your remuneration depends on your input.

There exists the issue of public sector workers or state agencies that ought to protect state assets turn around and facilitate the dissipation of such assets and still, get paid for their nefarious activities just for their selfish gains.

Distinguished public sector workers on many occasions are given short send-off ceremonies as a sign of appreciation for legacies and positive changes they have brought to the public in their field of work.

This exemplifies the working life of the former Park Manager of the Gbele Resource Reserve, Dr. Nana Owusu Ansah.

He took over the Gbele Resource Reserve as the fifth manager in the year 2009, but he is now been reassigned to the Forestry Commission Training Center as the lead Wildlife instructor where his vast experience could be imparted into upcoming leaders in the field of Wildlife.

During his reign many successes were achieved and notable among them include:

1) The famous resettlement of the Gbele community from the heart of the reserve to a newly acquired land, new accommodation for inhabitants, land for farming, and a dam for their animals and other domestic use. This was a World Bank-sponsored project. This was to ensure the ecological value of the park.

2) Provision of six dugouts to fringe communities in Gbele, Jijen, Selle, Kamahego, Duong, and Sentie with the purpose of saving the community members from zoonotic disease transmissions and park from cattle invasion under the SLWMP.

3) Desilting of Gwollu crocodile pond to forestall human-wildlife conflicts.

4) Implementation of the organic Shea nut program in ten communities with 12, 000 women beneficiaries. This was complemented with the construction of 4 warehouses and drying platform in four communities under the SLWMP.

5) Migratory animals were rescued and translocated to Kumasi zoo (elephant) and Accra zoo (Roan antelope).

6) On tourism development, his leadership saw the creation of a number of accessible routes within the reserve or park to enable safari on the part of visitors.

7) Construction of a viewing height at Yelibie river to enable visitors to have a view of animals that come around the river to quench their thirsts.

8) Under his reign again, arrangements were made to enable workers to go for further studies and get up-graded.

Apart from the above-enumerated successes, Dr. Nana Owusu Ansah and his deputy Dr. Maabir Polycarp fought fiercely against rosewood logging in the park and even nearly got a disciplinary transfer as their position was in defiance with some superiors who wanted to enjoy the booty.

Dr. Nana Owusu Ansah engaged in series of sensitization among some fringe communities on the need to eschew poaching in the Reserve.

He also, under wildlife laws, dealt with recalcitrant poachers which deterred others.

Dr. Nana Owusu Ansah’s most admired attribute he has carved for himself and which would fondly be remembered always by the people is his zero tolerance towards been compromised particularly by money and bribes in the discharge of his duties.

He is also seen as one that, though targeted, stood his ground not to be influenced or controlled by some political figures in the area for their political gains.




The most sustaining aspect of his impact in the Sissala area has to do with how he mentored his deputy and other staff to take up the passion for the work they were employed to do with little or no supervision.

The Sissala people take solace for the fact that his deputy has taken over the managerial or mantle of leadership of the park and hence his works continuous.
Against this backdrop, it was not therefore surprising to have seen overwhelming attendance at a very short but colorful send-off ceremony organized to honor his work in the area.

Many well-wishers took turns to eulogize him and wish him well in his next field.

Some representatives of the fringe communities gave him Sissala names all resonating very honest and truthful servant. Others wished he hadn’t left as his working relationship with the communities was described as unique.

Almost every participant at the ceremony wanted to have a picture with the patriotic servant Dr. Nana Owusu Anash as they said; such servants are rare to meet these days especially among public servants.

Several donations came in from different persons and from communities as a token of appreciation of his services to the reserve.

Dr. Nana Owusu Ansah was described as the second public servant to have graced the area with hard work, honesty, passion, and impact after a medical doctor by the name Dr. Ama left many years ago.

Any person posted to work at a place is usually and carefully being observed by the people or area they serve and hence should not just pretend to be working. Nobody loses for dedicating and committing to the services they render as work.