ne

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, which operates the Ahafo Mine in the Brong Ahafo Region, has presented a cheque for $875,000 for the effective development of 10 communities within the operational area of the company.
The cheque was presented at a ceremony at Ntotroso in the Asutifi District and the amount was an accumulation of $1 per ounce of gold sold by the company and one per cent of the net profit from the Ahafo Mine, which had been set aside following a commitment made by the company a couple of years ago for sustainable development projects in those communities.
Before the presentation of the cheque by the Vice President of Newmont, Mr. Jeff Huspeni, who is in charge of the company's Africa Operations, an agreement, known as the "Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation Agreement", was signed between representatives of the communities and those of Newmont.
The communities in the operational area of the company are Terchire, Adrobaa, Yamfo, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom, all in the Tano North District, as well as Kenyasi No.1, Kenyasi No.2, Wamahinso, Ntotroso and Gyedu in the Asutifi District.
Among the dignitaries who witnessed the occasion were the former Senior Minister, Mr. J.H. Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, Mr Joe Ghartey, the Minister of Justice and Attomey General, Madam Rita Tani Iddi, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines and the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as well as paramount chiefs and queens in the area.
A 10-member Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr Kwame Saarah-Mensah, a Principal Consultant of SM Property Services in Accra and former Secretary for Youth and Sport in the Provisional National Defence Council(PNDC) regime, was sworn in by the District Magistrate for Kenyasi, Mr. Ackom Quayson, to oversee the smooth operation of the Foundation, while a logo for the Foundation was also unveiled by the former Senior Minister.
In an address, Madam Iddi, who is also the MP for Gushegu in the Northern Region, disclosed that export revenue from the minerals sector amounted to $2.5 billion, adding that the sector currently contributed about five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 12 per cent of government revenue, seven per cent of Ghana's total corporate tax earnings and 41 per cent of total export earnings.
The deputy minister also indicated that the sector offered employment to about 20,000 people in large commercial scale mining, as well as 4,000 people in companies providing the mines support services.
She said besides the exploitation of the four main minerals, namely gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese, the country was also endowed with a variety of industrial mineral resources, such as limestone, silica, granite, clay and kaolin.
Those minerals, Madam Iddi noted, were essential for the manufacture of various industrial and consumer goods, adding that cement, glass, ceramics, cosmetics and many other products were entirely or partially made up of minerals.
The deputy minister observed that Newmont's operations in the Ahafo area had so far been satisfactory and expressed the hope that the company would continue to build on that achievement and also ensure that its operations were beneficial to both the management and the country as a whole.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice noted that the signing of the agreement with the host community in a united and collaborative effort was good for a sustainable development that would enhance the relationship between the company and the community.
Mr IIuspeni, in his welcoming address, pointed out that despite being the second largest contributor to the country's foreign exchange reserves for many years, mining companies had been blamed for the poor state of development in most mining communities.
"Nevertheless, before we began operations in Ghana, we were very convinced and determined that our maiden operation would create a different course", the Vice-President stressed.