By Iddi Yire
Obuasi (A/R), June 25, GNA – AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has organized a day’s tour for some selected journalists on projects under its 10-year Socioeconomic Development Plan (SEDP) within the Obuasi Municipality and the Obuasi East District.
The SEDP Media Learning Tour forms part of the SEDP Engagement and Communications Strategy.
Participants toured facilities such as the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Enterprise and Skills Development Centre, AngloGold Ashanti Schools, AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation and the Obuasi Government Hospital Maternity Block donated by the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund.
The rest are MAC Partners Training Institute, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Obuasi Campus and the AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control Programme.
Mr Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Manager Sustainability, AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, said the objectives of the SEDP Media Learning Tour was to provide a direct platform for Ghanaian journalists to obtain first-hand information on the contributions of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine towards Ghana’s socioeconomic development.
He noted that SEDP, which was launched in 2022, was a blueprint for the Mine’s community and social investment towards building resilient and socioeconomically self-sustaining communities.
He said SEDP was in line with Local Development Plans of the Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East District Assemblies, national development priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine was scaling-up infrastructural development within its operational areas as part of its 10-year SEDP.
Touching on the AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation, Mr Baidoo said the facility, which employs over 200 Ghanaians, was the second largest referral hospital in the Ashanti Region.
He said the over 150-bed capacity Facility accounted for 60 per cent of all Out Patients Department (OPD) visits in the Obuasi East District.
With regard to skills and enterprise development, Mr Baidoo said the AngloGold Ashanti Engineering School in operation with Macpartners Mining and Construction Limited was offering skills training for the youth.
He said over 230 youth had graduated from the Youth Apprenticeship Programme.
Mr Baidoo reiterated that AngloGold Ashanti would continue to pursue business sustainable and growth.
“We seek to enhance the impact our benefit-sharing programmes, recognizing that value of mining can benefit our communities through our socioeconomic contribution,” the Sustainability Manager stated.
“We are committed to continually engaging and partnering with stakeholders on the development and implementation of our socioeconomic development plan.”
Dr Kwadwo Asamoah Nyarko-Jectey, Medical Superintendent at the Obuasi Government Hospital in a media interview, expressed gratitude to the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund for putting up the ultramodern Maternity Block with state-of-the art equipment for the Hospital.
He said since the commissioning of the facility, over the past two years, the Hospital had not recorded maternal deaths.
Mr Emmanuel Buabeng, a beneficiary of the AngloGold Ashanti Skills and Enterprise Development Programme, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, commended the Company for empowering the youth in the area with entrepreneurial skills to help them create their own jobs.
GNA