Two hundred and twenty seven residents secured employment with Gold Fields Ghana Limited (GFGL), Damang Mines from January this year till date.
The beneficiaries were drawn from the Mine’s host communities which include; Aboso, Amoanda, Bompieso, Atta ne Atta, Huni-Valley, Koduakrom, Mile Ten, Nyamebekyere, Kyekyewere, Twenda, Subri, Damang, Kwabenaho and Enimilkrom.
Mr Abdel-Razak Yakubu, Regional Manager-Sustainable Development Projects, made this known at the Mines Community Consultative Committee meeting at Damang.
He observed that employment in their host communities was one of the pressing challenges facing the company.
According to Mr Yakubu, AGL was a matured Mines, hence opportunities were not created on daily basis, adding that, “if somebody does not leave it is difficult to get another person in”.
“We have few contractors working with us who usually engage new people to work with and to ensure transparency we have set up a host community employment committee with a representative from each of our communities,” he explained.
The Regional Manager-Sustainable Development Projects emphasized that “Whenever there was vacancy, the host community employment committee look within the communities and select qualified persons to fill the positions”.
On projects that have been completed, Mr Yakubu, said the Mines have constructed eight seater water closet facility for Aboso with a mechanized borehole to ensure frequent water supply and a four-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities at Togbe Junction.
Additionally, he said, work had commenced on the construction of 350-bed capacity female dormitory at the Huni-Valley Senior High School and a community center for Bompieso.
He also mentioned that “the Mines would continue to provide allowances for teachers and organise awards programmes for them, provide furniture for host communities schools, rehabilitate communities water facilities and run the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) programme, offer the graduate training programme and the Youth in Organic Horticulture Production programme (YouHoP)”.
He noted that all these were clear testimonies that AGL was on course in improving upon its host communities.
Nana Kofi Ngoroh II, chief of Amoanda, in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality thanked Gold Fields for working hard to develop their operational area.
He appealed to Ghana Highway Authority and other stakeholders to help manage and maintain the Tarkwa-Damang road as some individuals were using the shoulders of the road as their parking lot, washing bay and automobile shop.