Accra, July 24, GNA – AngloGold Ashanti has given an update on the recent illegal mining arrest.

AngloGold Ashanti, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said on July 15, Ghana’s public security agencies apprehended a group of illegal miners carrying gold-bearing material from the underground workings of the Obuasi Gold Mine.

It said the suspects were apprehended in the northern part of the mining concession, which formed part of the current life of the mine; stating that “no suspects were injured in the process of arrest”.

It stated that an investigation into the incident had been initiated by the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources.

“AngloGold Ashanti Ghana will fully cooperate with these investigations,” it said.

The statement said illegal mining, particularly in underground areas, was unsafe as it undermined the structural integrity of established infrastructure and the viability of mining operations.

It said in so doing, it endangered the lives of company employees, contractors, public security personnel and the perpetrators themselves.

It said AngloGold Ashanti was a signatory to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and remained in close engagement with its various stakeholders to safely and responsibly address illegal mining on its concession.

It said Obuasi Gold Mine had, since 2016, released 70 per cent of its original mining lease to the government for development purposes.

It noted that this land was relinquished after a comprehensive legal process and was ceded together with data from geological drilling done over several years.

The Obuasi Gold Mine is one of the world’s largest gold ore bodies, with 29.5Moz of Mineral Resource, at an average grade of 7.64 grams per tonne and 8.7Moz of Ore Reserve at an average grade of 8.6 grams per tonne.

Obuasi, an underground operation, mining to a depth of 1,500m, is in the Ashanti region, approximately 60km south of Kumasi.

The mine currently employs 850 staff and 3,360 contractors, with about 97.5 per cent of all positions filled by Ghanaians.

Obuasi was in limited operations in 2015, and on care and maintenance from 2016 to the start of its redevelopment in mid-2018, following the receipt of the requisite approvals from the Government of Ghana.

Obuasi Gold Mine has been recapitalized in recent years and is now ramping up production as a modern, mechanized and highly productive mining operation.

Phase 3 of the project is underway and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2023.

The Company has an active youth apprenticeship programme, with 55 young artisans who graduated last year and another 80 enrolled in 2021.

In addition, 13 people are currently enrolled in its graduate trainee programme.

AngloGold Ashanti facilitated the opening in 2019 of the Obuasi campus of Ghana’s renowned Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), through the provision of campus buildings and accommodation for staff and students.

The satellite campus now has 1,000 students enrolled in a number of Bachelor of Science courses.

Local businesses are prioritized in Obuasi’s supply chain, with more than 80 per cent of the total investment in the mine’s redevelopment spent in Ghana, split evenly between wholly Ghanaian-owned businesses and multinationals registered in Ghana.

The support of local businesses is a key strategic objective for the Company, and 100 small and medium-sized businesses have been trained and certified through the Company’s Enterprise Development Programme.

AngloGold Ashanti’s malaria control programme in the Obuasi area is one of the continent’s most successful public health initiatives, with a 90 per cent reduction in malaria cases since the intervention started in 2005.

We work with the Global Fund on this malaria programme, extending to 16 districts in Ghana, protecting more than one million people.

This has led to a significant drop in related school as well as work absenteeism and creates more than 1,300 seasonal community jobs each year.

The mine has played a key role in the fight against COVID-19 in the Obuasi area, providing healthcare facilities for the community as well as personal protective equipment, sanitiser, handwashing facilities and public education to help contain the virus outbreak.

GNA

Accra, July 24, GNA – AngloGold Ashanti has given an update on the recent illegal mining arrest.

AngloGold Ashanti, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said on July 15, Ghana’s public security agencies apprehended a group of illegal miners carrying gold-bearing material from the underground workings of the Obuasi Gold Mine.

It said the suspects were apprehended in the northern part of the mining concession, which formed part of the current life of the mine; stating that “no suspects were injured in the process of arrest”.

It stated that an investigation into the incident had been initiated by the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources.

“AngloGold Ashanti Ghana will fully cooperate with these investigations,” it said.

The statement said illegal mining, particularly in underground areas, was unsafe as it undermined the structural integrity of established infrastructure and the viability of mining operations.

It said in so doing, it endangered the lives of company employees, contractors, public security personnel and the perpetrators themselves.

It said AngloGold Ashanti was a signatory to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and remained in close engagement with its various stakeholders to safely and responsibly address illegal mining on its concession.

It said Obuasi Gold Mine had, since 2016, released 70 per cent of its original mining lease to the government for development purposes.

It noted that this land was relinquished after a comprehensive legal process and was ceded together with data from geological drilling done over several years.

The Obuasi Gold Mine is one of the world’s largest gold ore bodies, with 29.5Moz of Mineral Resource, at an average grade of 7.64 grams per tonne and 8.7Moz of Ore Reserve at an average grade of 8.6 grams per tonne.

Obuasi, an underground operation, mining to a depth of 1,500m, is in the Ashanti region, approximately 60km south of Kumasi.

The mine currently employs 850 staff and 3,360 contractors, with about 97.5 per cent of all positions filled by Ghanaians.

Obuasi was in limited operations in 2015, and on care and maintenance from 2016 to the start of its redevelopment in mid-2018, following the receipt of the requisite approvals from the Government of Ghana.

Obuasi Gold Mine has been recapitalized in recent years and is now ramping up production as a modern, mechanized and highly productive mining operation.

Phase 3 of the project is underway and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2023.

The Company has an active youth apprenticeship programme, with 55 young artisans who graduated last year and another 80 enrolled in 2021.

In addition, 13 people are currently enrolled in its graduate trainee programme.

AngloGold Ashanti facilitated the opening in 2019 of the Obuasi campus of Ghana’s renowned Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), through the provision of campus buildings and accommodation for staff and students.

The satellite campus now has 1,000 students enrolled in a number of Bachelor of Science courses.

Local businesses are prioritized in Obuasi’s supply chain, with more than 80 per cent of the total investment in the mine’s redevelopment spent in Ghana, split evenly between wholly Ghanaian-owned businesses and multinationals registered in Ghana.

The support of local businesses is a key strategic objective for the Company, and 100 small and medium-sized businesses have been trained and certified through the Company’s Enterprise Development Programme.

AngloGold Ashanti’s malaria control programme in the Obuasi area is one of the continent’s most successful public health initiatives, with a 90 per cent reduction in malaria cases since the intervention started in 2005.

We work with the Global Fund on this malaria programme, extending to 16 districts in Ghana, protecting more than one million people.

This has led to a significant drop in related school as well as work absenteeism and creates more than 1,300 seasonal community jobs each year.

The mine has played a key role in the fight against COVID-19 in the Obuasi area, providing healthcare facilities for the community as well as personal protective equipment, sanitiser, handwashing facilities and public education to help contain the virus outbreak.

GNA