BUSINESS FORUM ON BUSINESS PRACTICES OPENS AT KENYASI (PAGE 22)

A BUSINESS forum dubbed: “The Ahafo Business Week”, which seeks to create an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to enhance their understanding of business practices and to showcase Ahafo as a place to do business in Ghana, has opened at Kenyasi Number Two in the Asutifi District.
  Among activities to take place during the forum are a business roundtable to discuss business opportunities and challenges for local entrepreneurs in Ahafo, a business fair for local entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services to community members in general and potential clients in particular, and business-to-business encounters for local entrepreneurs.
The programme is being organised jointly by the Ahafo Local Business Association (ALBA), Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The programme has the theme: “Developing businesses in Ahafo through partnership” and is being sponsored by a host of companies including Golder Associates, Semex Ghana Limited, Toyota Ghana Limited, Pergah Transport and Eusbeth Hotel.
The General Manager, Environment and Social Responsibility, of NGGL, Mr Dan Michaelsen, in a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony, said the event would provide the platform to expand the horizon of business opportunities in the area.
He said Newmont was aware of the perception that mining communities did not adequately derive economic benefits from the presence of mining companies and, therefore, had been confined to underdevelopment.
Consequently, he said, the company showed early determination to change the situation by developing the capacity of the local economy not only to support the mine, but also to remain buoyant and diversified even after the mine losses its productivity.
Mr Dan Michaelsen said further that in conjunction with the IFC, Newmont initiated a programme known as the Ahafo Linkages Programme (ALP)  in 2007 with the aim of generating employment and increasing revenue for local medium and small-scale enterprises through the provision of business development training and market diversification.
He added that a Local Supply and Contractor Development Unit of the company had been established to prepare local business entities to do business with the company.
According to him, since the inception of the ALP, Newmont had awarded contracts worth more than $10.5 billion which had a remarkable bearing on employment opportunities to local vendors and suppliers in the area.
Mr Michaelsen gave the assurance that his company would continue to support the development of the local economy in ways that would enable it to stand on its feet in order to improve the lives of the host communities of the company.
  He expressed the hope that the partnership between Newmont and the communities would continue to deepen, leading to the realisation of the common objective of ensuring sustainable development.