Accra, Oct 10, GNA – AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited, in partnership with the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, has held the Seventh AngloGold Ashanti Lecture on Business in Africa.
The annual event, organized under the auspices of the Kwame Nkrumah Chair of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the theme “Building a Resilient, Sustainable Organisation during a Global Pandemic – Lessons from COVID-19 for Africa.”
Madam Christine Ramon, Interim Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold Ashanti, who delivered the keynote address, said managing a large, multi-jurisdictional mining company through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had presented its own unique set of challenges, providing g some valuable lessons for broader society.
She commended all industries, particularly mining companies for their resilience in the face of a challenging and potentially long-lasting crisis and making decisions that would help them flourish over the long term, working closely with host communities.
She said maintaining a diverse portfolio, a strong balance sheet, and a varied supply chain, were all crucial in managing risk; adding that it was a perspective that they had developed over time, in building the Company through crises, economic cycles, and most recently conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Eric Asubonteng, Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, reiterated the need for the industry to continue working together with government, communities, and citizens in continuously identifying opportunities to sustain long-term benefits for all.
He said he was proud of the measures taken by the Obuasi Mine to control the spread of the disease and highlighted their effectiveness in mitigating the impact of the pandemic on the Obuasi Redevelopment Project.
Prof. Dzodzi Tsikata, Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, expressed profound gratitude to AngloGold Ashanti for collaborating with the Institute to make the lecture series a success once again.
Madam Karen Akiwumi-Tanoh, a former Chairperson of First Atlantic Bank, who chaired the event, lauded AngloGold Ashanti for being exemplary in leveraging lessons from their different operations across the globe to set new operational standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.
GNA