By Yussif Ibrahim
Obuasi (Ash), June 19, GNA – Imagine a lactating mother having the peace of mind to concentrate on work and attend to her baby in a work environment without both responsibilities.
How about the babies being under the care of professional caregivers within the work environment for the mothers to breastfeed them during break or attend to them when the need arises.
Is this not the ideal situation women in the working class envisage in their workplaces to make the combination of motherhood and work seamlessly?
This scenario may only remain a wish for the thousands of Ghanaian women working in both public and private institutions across the country, but AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine is already proving that it is possible.
The mining firm as part of its policy to promote inclusivity and women empowerment, has established a baby care centre where lactating mothers are able to breastfeed their babies away from prying eyes.
With women constituting about 12 per cent of its workforce, AngloGold Ashanti believes the provision of facilities to enhance productivity among women in the organisation is a judicious investment.
The facility comes with CCTV cameras to provide 24-hour security, reception area, washing area, three care rooms, washroom, waiting area and an eatery.
The idea is also to balance work with the provision of adequate care for babies by women at the workplace after exhausting their mandatory maternity leave to promote a more inclusive environment which ensures employees contribute effectively to productivity irrespective of their gender.
Consequently, stakeholders in the mining sector including women in the company have applauded the initiative by management to for taking steps to address one of the key challenges confronting women with additional responsibilities of providing care for their babies.
Situated just outside the Mine, the fully insured facility provides a touching distance opportunity for lactating mothers to attend to their babies during office recess.
Ofeibia Kwapong, a staff of AngloGold Ashanti, whose 10-month-old daughter was the first to be admitted, said the facility presents a huge relief to female workers of the Mine who go through the natural phenomenon of giving birth, describing it as a game changer which would empower women in the mining sector.
“It has always been a herculean task handling the demands of the workplace and consistently breastfeeding our babies and providing optimum care for them. This project has come at a period where we have been calling for more women involvement in the mining sector. We can only be thankful to the management of AngloGold Ashanti,” she commended the company.
Ms. Olivia Boateng, another employee who is also a nursing mother, said the facility was an indication that AngloGold Ashanti cared for new mothers and committed to support women to combine their responsibilities as mothers and employees of the company.
Mr. Meshack Baah, Human Resources Manager, AngloGold Ashanti, said the rationale behind the initiative was to enable breastfeeding mothers to concentrate on their work while taking good care of their babies.
He said apart from the baby care centre, AngloGold Ashanti had instituted other initiatives to create a conducive working environment for female employee.
These include specially designed work uniforms and overalls for female employees to ensure their comfort, provision of special uniforms for pregnant staff to ensure their safety and comfort at work as well as provision of free menstrual disposable sanitary pads for emergency use.
“We have also improved maternity leave that includes 16 weeks of confinement post-birth from the previous 12 weeks, and nursing mothers with twins or more given 20 weeks of confinement.
A further four weeks of unpaid leave may be taken before or after confinement,” he noted.
GNA