A Newmont mining site
NEWMONT GHANA Gold says its Ahafo North Project will create 1,800 direct jobs during the construction stage and 550 direct ones to begin full operations.
The company has urged the people in its catchment area to support the project and help create value for the communities.
Project Director, Andries Havenga, revealed this during a media sensitisation workshop held in Sunyani to update journalists on the level of preparations so far made toward the commencement of the project which will affect five communities in the Tano North Municipality. They are Yamfo, Susuanso, Adrogba, Techie and Frisipakrom.
Addressing the journalists from Bono and Ahafo Regions, Director of Communication & External Relation, Agbeko Azumah, speaking on behalf of the Project Director said, the Ahafo North project is part of the main Ahafo lease undertaken by Newmont, and that the presence of the mine in the communities will create value for the local communities and improve the standards of living.
“The cost of investment for the project is between $750 million to $800 million which will produce 275,000 ounces of gold to 300,000 ounces of gold annually,” he noted.
According to him, as part of preparation towards the commencement of the project, various stakeholder engagements including farm ownership access, crop assessment, crop rate negotiation committee and resettlement negotiation committee, have been held made. He added that the payment of compensation to affected farmers and inhabitants based on 2021 crop rate has begun.
“After crop enumeration was done, 1,300 crops including teak, cocoa, oil palm, citrus, plantain, and maize, have been identified involving 2,500 farmers,” he noted.
Mr Azumah further explained that as part of employment plan, the company has decided to engage 40% local content which shall be increased to 53 percent in the next five years and eventually to 50/50 to include females.
As a result, 168 community youth have already begun training to be engaged in the construction. Out of this, the first batches of 48 trainees is billed to graduate in March this year, to begin work, he stated.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani