Contribute to enhance production at Obuasi Mine - MD

Anglo Gold Ashanti on Friday held its first town hall meeting for its business and social partners at Obuasi with a call on stakeholders to work together for the transformation of Obuasi and Induapriem mines.

“It is only in 2011 that Ghana operations at Obuasi and Induapriem achieved its production target with 512,000 ounces against the target of 510,000 ounces,”

Mr. Peter Anderton, the Senior Vice President of AGA, Ghana, who made the call said. The responsibility of enhancing production in these mines rests on all stakeholders and not the management alone."

He said the company had developed core strategies, including developing the people to become the best to effectively contribute to the growth of the business.

The Senior Vice President announced that since the merger in 2004, AGA had contributed 393.7 million dollars by way of tax revenue, including royalties.

He said last year alone, 100 million dollars was paid to the Government.

Mr. Anderton said the company had committed itself to a number of indicators and interventions to operate within the required international standard.

In his presentation on the Obuasi Mine, Mr. Kwesi Enyan, the Managing Director, said over 30 million ounces of gold had been mined over the last 115 years.

He revealed that the mine had 30 million ounces as its total reserve and that the mine had a longer lifespan of 30 years.

The Managing Director announced that Obuasi was now operating from its underground mine and that last year it produced 318,000 ounces of gold.

Mr. Enyan stressed on safety being the company’s first value and said: “We take serious view of safety so that no injuries are recorded on the mine”.

On environmental and social contributions, the MD said, the company’s Malaria Control Programme had helped to reduce the incidence of malaria by 80 % in the Municipality.

He appealed to the people to help address problems emanating from illegal mining, which also destroyed the company’s infrastructure.

The Managing Director of Induapriem, Mr. Sicelo Ntuli, and the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, were among the dignitaries that addressed the meeting which was attended by Nananom, departmental heads, assembly members, the clergy, youth groups and other opinion leaders.**