By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Sept. 15, GNA – Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited (CNML), a Chinese mining firm, has reiterated its commitment to supporting the growth and competitiveness of local businesses through the implementation of Ghana’s Local Content Policy.
Mr Qi Xuanya, Vice President in charge of Community and Social Responsibility at CNML, said the company considered local content not merely a regulatory requirement but an opportunity to build strong Ghanaian businesses, create jobs and retain value within the local economy.
“CNML fully supports Ghana’s Local Content Policy. We do not see it only as a rule to follow; we see it as a way to build strong Ghanaian businesses, create jobs, and keep value in this country,” he said.
The Vice President said this in Bolgatanga at the maiden Supplier Summit organised by CNML to strengthen engagement with its suppliers and business partners, particularly those operating in the Upper East Region, its operational area.
CNML, wholly owned by Shandong Gold Limited, a Chinese mining firm, is currently undertaking open-cast (surface) ecologically friendly gold mining activities in Talensi.
Mr Xuanya said the mining company recognised the challenges confronting local suppliers, including limited equipment, technical gaps and difficulties in accessing financing, and was committed to engaging them to identify practical solutions.
He encouraged local businesses to engage more closely with the company, understand its operational needs and build their capacities to provide the goods and services required by the Mine.
Mr Xuanya also invited suppliers and prospective business partners to visit the company to better understand its operations and requirements, saying such engagement would promote transparency, trust and stronger business relationships.
He said the company’s operations in the Upper East Region presented significant opportunities for local businesses and urged suppliers to build their confidence and capacities gradually while working with the mining company.
“You are not just contractors and suppliers. You are ambassadors and witnesses of our shared growth and of the development of the local economy. When the region grows, we all grow,” he said.
Mr Xuanya said mining should not be viewed only in terms of resource extraction but also in terms of the lasting benefits it could create through strong businesses, skilled people and healthy communities.
Mr Godwin Sebil Bade-daamir, Superintendent of Local Content and Grievance Management at CNML, said empowering local suppliers was one of the key ways the company could ensure that communities benefited from the Mine’s economy.
He said the Mine had limited capacity to employ large numbers of people directly, making indirect employment through local businesses and suppliers an important avenue for spreading the economic benefits of mining.
He said engagement with suppliers would also facilitate skills and technology transfer and expose local businesses to procurement systems and standards required for working with multinational companies.
Mr Bade-daamir said such support would ultimately enable local businesses to become more competitive, with the benefits extending beyond suppliers to their employees, families and customers.
Mr Justice Okoe-Martey, Manager in charge of Supply Chain Management at CNML, said the Supplier Summit was part of the company’s commitment under the local content framework to support local companies.
He said the maiden summit provided an opportunity for the company to take stock of its engagement with suppliers since commencing operations and establish clearer expectations for businesses working with the Mine.
Mr Okoe-Martey said the ultimate objective was to upscale local companies so they could become more competitive and eventually qualify to bid for higher-value contracts.
He added that about 90 per cent of the suppliers invited to the maiden summit were businesses operating in the Upper East Region, with some national companies also participating.
The participants commended CNML for the summit, saying engagements such as that would not only help resolve any misunderstandings about the company’s operations but also build the capacity of businesses to become more competitive.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Reporter’s email: [email protected]