Nana Dr. Adarkwa Bediako II
The Gyasehene of Apinto Divisional Council of the Wassa-Fiase Traditional Area in the Western Region, Nana Dr. Adarkwa Bediako II, has urged Goldfields Ghana Limited to institute an “effective, calculated indigenous apprenticeship programme” that would ensure that core indigenes from mining communities get the opportunity to work in the mines.
He argued that such a strategic move was crucial in reversing the trend of mass unemployment in mining communities.
Nana Dr. Adarkwa Bediako II, the Gyasehene of Apinto Divisional Council made the comments at a Stakeholders’ Durbar organized by Goldfields Ghana Limited to commemorate 25 years of Sustainable Mining in Ghana at Tarkwa in the Western Region over the weekend.
Dr. Adarkwa Bediako II indicated that there must be an affirmative action to ensure core indigenous community persons are employed in the mines to boost the local economy and halve the indigenous employment gap.
Goldfields Ghana Limited is the biggest mining company and producer of Gold in Ghana with annual production in excess of 935,000 ounces from its two operating mines- Damang and Tarkwa.
The company engages about 5,612 Ghanaians in diverse employment and it is owned by a global multinational precious metals producer, which is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Goldfields is the world's fourth and Africa's second leading producer of gold with an attributed annualized production of 3.5 million ounces from eight operating mines in Australia, Ghana, Peru and South Africa.
The company started its operations in Ghana in 1993 and has contributed over 1.2 billion dollars in corporate taxes since it started production in 1998 and have also paid 100 million dollars royalty to the state.
Other investments Goldfields Ghana Limited has contributed to its host communities are human development as well as bursaries and scholarships for the less privileged.
The Executive Vice President and Head of West Africa Goldfields, Alfred Baku highlighted on some of the achievements they have made and mentioned other interventions and projects the company is embarking as well as giving technical and vocational training to indigenes in the catchment communities.
The Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Hon. George Mireku Duker challenged Goldfields to take the lead in ensuring that the manufacturing sector plays a more prominent role in their operation's supply chain, adding that the supply chain of the mining companies should offer tremendous opportunities to reduce social tension in mining communities.
