AGA Obuasi Community Trust Fund commissions education and water projects

AGA Obuasi Community Trust Fund (AGA- OCTF) has sets sight on improving educational standards as well as sanitation in Obuasi and its surrounding areas.

In addition to the plethora of projects it has already executed, the Trust Fund on Friday, 9th December, 2022 commissioned fully furnished 2-unit KG blocks at Dokyiwaa and Binsere in the Obuasi Municipality as well as Mechanised boreholes for the people of New Bidiem and Baakoyeden in Obuasi and Wioso in the Adansi North district.

The AGA Trust Fund was launched in 2012 as per the stability agreement between AGA and the Government of Ghana. As part of the revised agreement in 2018, the Mine pledged to contribute USD2/Oz of gold produced into the Trust Fund.

The newly commissioned 2-unit KG blocks which cost GH¢1,076,239.28 have 2 fully furnished classrooms with tables and chairs for both pupils and teachers, one multipurpose Hall, an office for the headmaster, a kitchen and store room, separate washroom facilities for both male and female pupils and staff and a mechanized borehole to ensure constant supply of water.

The Mechanised boreholes with overhead concrete stands for the other three (3) communities also cost GH¢210,494.23.

At a short ceremony to commission the projects at Dokyiwa, a Board member of the AGA OCTF Nana Boakye Yiadom II said the Trust Fund decided to invest in the construction of the KG blocks because it believed in how critical education at the foundation level is. He said " the AGA OCTF is well aware of

how crucial Kindergarten education is in the educational development of children hence we decided to construct the 2 blocks for Binsere and Dokyiwaa to have more of the children in school at that level.

He appealed to the beneficiary communities and the schools to protect and maintain the facilities to stand the test of time.

AGA OCTF SHOULD INVEST IN PROJECTS THAT COULD CREATE MORE JOBS

The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, Hon. Elijah Adansi-Bonah who also chairs the Steering committee of the AGA Obuasi Community Trust Fund challenged the Fund to consider investing in areas that could create more jobs for the people of Obuasi.

He said he was convinced that returns in creating jobs for the people could be reinvested into the Fund.

Hon Adansi-Bonah further appealed to the people of Obuasi to support Anglogold Ashanti to enable them to produce optimally, and maximize profit in order to pay more into the Trust fund.

GH¢6.6 MILLION PAID INTO THE FUND SINCE 2019

The Senior Manager of Sustainability, AGA, Emmanuel Baidoo hinted that Anglogold Ashanti has so far deposited an amount of GH6.6 Million Cedis into the Obuasi Community Trust Fund, a move he said is in fulfillment of the Agreement it had with the Government of Ghana to contribute USD2/Oz of gold produced into the Trust Fund.

He also spoke about AGA's plans for educational development in Obuasi as captured in their 10-year Socio-Economic Development Plan.

Nana Afia Afrifa Tokudwom III, Queen-mother of Dompoase Traditional area lauded the Trust Fund for investing heavily in education since its establishment about a decade ago.

She called on parents to prioritize their wards' education by investing in them. George Alfred Koomson, Obuasi Municipal Director of Education said research has shown that the school's environment has a role to play in the development of the child hence praised the Trust Fund for putting up two multipurpose KG blocks.

He again admonished Old students of schools in Obuasi to come to the aid of schools in the Municipality, to complement Government efforts in bridging the infrastructural gap in schools.