Newmont Goldcorp’s Ahafo Mine has been named Ghana’s Corporate Social Responsibility Organization for the year 2018 by the Ghana Investment Promotions Center (GIPC). The company was awarded at this year’s Ghana Club 100 awards held in Accra recently under the distinguished patronage of the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo.
The Ahafo mine received the award for demonstrating exceptional leadership in community development, employee relations, human rights, environmental performance, among others. On the night, Newmont Goldcorp Ghana picked two other awards – its Akyem mine ranked 12th while Ahafo ranked 15th on the list of 100 most prestigious businesses in Ghana.
General Manager of the Ahafo Mine, Bernard Wessels paid tribute to employees of the company, chiefs and traditional authorities in Ahafo as well as the Sustainable Development Committees, and other community stakeholders for their collaboration and foresight in driving sustainable development through the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation – NADeF.
“We dedicate these awards to our host communities whose partnerships we will continue to treasure. Our collaborations with our community stakeholders and the support of our hardworking and committed employees continue to help build resilient communities determined to create sustainable socio-economic impacts that transcend generations,” he said.
Since it commenced business in Ahafo in 2006, Newmont Goldcorp, through its development foundation has instituted key social investment initiatives to create value for the people. Among such initiatives include the Ntotroso College of Nursing, construction of town roads, over 100 infrastructural projects commissioned and handed over to the communities and scholarships to over 10,000 students at all levels.
In 2008, Newmont Goldcorp, following two years of fruitful engagement with the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum, established the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NaDeF) as a mechanism to drive community development in the mine’s ten host communities. Since then, about $28 million has been accrued to support developmental initiatives in the Asutifi North and Tano North Districts of the Ahafo Region. Newmont Goldcorp contributes US$1 per ounce of gold sold and one percent of its net profit to the Foundation annually to drive its social responsibility obligations to the communities.
According to Bernard Wessels, ‘’Newmont Goldcorp will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that more community people and the country at large benefit from the presence of our mines. We remain committed to creating value and improving the lives of our host communities through sustainable and responsible mining.”
Source: Daily Mail GH