ASRF to sign agreement with Newmont Gold

IN AUGUST ……DOCUMENT AT CONSIDERATION STAGE.

A draft document dubbed “Ahafo social responsibility agreement” which will regulate the operations of Newmont Ghana gold limited at its Ahafo mining concession will be signed on the first of August 2007 in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana.

The document which is at the discussion stage is been hotly and keen deliberated on by stakeholders of the Ahafo and Tano communities where Newmont Ghana gold limited a subsidiary of Newmont international operates.

The agreement which among other things seeks to provide a clear , transparent and explicit statement on the commitment of the company and the communities is to set out key principles and direction on how the communities and the company will co-exist. It will also define how to ensure sustainable community development with the focus on providing for the establishment of the Ahafo community development fund (ACDF) subsidiary of Newmont international.

Champions for the agreement is the Ahafo social responsibility forum (ASRF) which is overseeing the drafting ,discussions, reviewing, signing and the subsequent implementation of the agreement has representation from all facets of the entire community.

The group (Ahafo social responsibility forum) which is made up of 53 members comprises of the Brong Ahafo regional minister, members of parliament for the three constituencies whose area of jurisdiction covers the Ahafo project, that is Tano north and Asutifi north and south, the two district chief executives for tano north and asutifi, the two presiding members of the district assemblies, the omanhene /chiefs of all the towns and one other subject from each town.

The rest of the members are chief farmers of the two districts, six selected representatives from women’s groups in the two districts, one elected youth representative from each town and one elected representative from non-governmental organizations from each district.

In an interview with SKYFM, The co-moderator for the forum professor Gyima Mireku who is also the vice chancellor of the University for Mining and Technology, Tarkwa, he stressed that to avoid the temptation of anyone tampering with the community development fund which currently has accumulated between six hundred to eight hundred thousand dollars; an esquo account has been opened and it will be ready for disbursement when the board of trustees had been inaugurated He said the Ahafo social responsibility agreement will be the most comprehensive document ever to be enjoyed by a mining community in the country if not the world.

These are some of the most important dates for the Ahafo social responsibility agreement, May-meeting with communities to get their inputs into the draft agreement, 21st June 2007 standing committee reviews draft agreement, 28th June 2007 draft agreement enters legal review, 10th July 2007 –Standing committee reviews legal comments, 19th July-nomination of trustees to co-moderator, 26th July-full ASRF meeting to approve final agreement and appoint the board of trustees and 1st August 2007-signing of final agreement and inauguration of board of trustees.