Members of the Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources have ended their two-day familiarization tour of Newmont Ahafo South Mine and the Ahafo North project, both in the Ahafo Region.
The tour, which was organized by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, took them to the Ahafo South Mine, which is in the Asutifi North District and the Ahafo North project located in the Tano North Municipality.
As part of their schedule, members of the committee visited the Subika pit, where Newmont Ahafo South Mine undertakes both surface and underground mining.
The team also visited the College of Nursing & Midwifery at Ntotroso, which has produced over 900 nurses and midwives since its inception over a decade ago.
The facility remains one of the major infrastructural projects executed by Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF), Newmont’s key driver of corporate social responsibility initiatives.
NADeF has so far invested approximately Gh.c 10.2 million in infrastructure including classrooms, dormitory, principal’s bungalow, a multi-purpose administration block, which also houses a skills acquisition laboratory and a computer lab, which has been furnished with 80 brand new computers.
NADeF has further provided the college with a lecture block and a pickup vehicle while a 3-storey males’ hostel is currently under construction.
Elizabeth Opoku-Darko, the Executive Secretary of NADeF, told the committee that the college was adjudged the Best Performing Institution in Academics for General Nursing by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Touching on other investments by NADeF in human resource development, Madam Opoku-Darko mentioned the current Ahafo Regional Minister, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Asutifi North and the DCE nominee for the Asutifi North District Assembly as some of the proud beneficiaries of the Foundation’s scholarship scheme.
APSC
Members of the committee also visited the four-million-dollar refurbished Asutifi Processing and Services Centre (APSC) at Subiriso, near Hwidiem
APSC is a collaboration between Newmont Africa and GIZ to add value to ginger and chilli pepper and provide both direct jobs and indirect job opportunities for hundreds of people.
It will, among others, boost the income earnings of some 1,000 farmers, provide a ready market for about 80 farmer-based organisations with a view to reducing post-harvest losses and introduce modern methods of crop production while attracting more young people to agriculture.
At Newmont Ahafo North project site, the General Manager, Charles Bissue, told the committee that almost everything was set for full production to begin within the second half of this year.
He said Ahafo North assumes open pit mining with an initial mine life of 13 years, and potential for mine extension through underground mining, adding that the project will create lasting value through local sourcing and hiring, targeting gender parity among new local businesses.
Galamsey
Speaking to the media after the tour, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ahmed D. Nantogmah, expressed grave concern about illegal mining activities, especially on concessions that belong to large-scale mining companies and hoped that the visit would position members of the committee to better articulate this concern “and also help us to position mining as a catalyst for development so this is just an education visit to the mining industry, starting with Newmont. We’ll go to other mines in the Western Region and probably the Northern Region as well.”
“Illegal mining is one of the threats facing industry. If they understand, at firsthand, what really are the threats…. then basically that way that’re able to help us solve the issue of illegal mining… Some will say it’s a livelihood issue; others are just interested in mining anywhere they want. So, we want to work with the lawmakers to make the laws very friendly to mining companies, protect our activities from illegal miners…..” Mr. Nantogmah added.
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