Mining giant, AngloGold Ashanti, has expressed its commitment to be mindful of its operations to ensure a safe mining environment towards the developmental agenda of countries within which it operates.
Senior Vice-President in charge of Continental Africa Region at AngloGold Ashanti Ghana, Jasper Musadaidzwa, gave the assurance in a lead sponsor address at the 2019 Ghana Mining and Energy Summit (GMES) in Accra on Wednesday, under the theme, ‘Harnessing Mining and Energy to Accelerate National Development.’
In the speech, Mr. Musadaidzwa said the mine will not compromise global safety standards and environmentally friendly operations in its quest to ensure that countries such as Ghana see the socio-economic development they so desire.
“We have our key pillars. If there is any advantage or competence that the private sector has; the mining companies are some of the world’s finest-formalized businesses that you find on the continent, and it is through diligent planning, forecasting and implementing the plans and seeing them through to understand where we did well and we didn’t do well ahead of the coming year. This is to improve the communities and continue contributing to the development of the host countries that we operate in.”
“Our communities around us and the people of the country are core to the things we do. We will ensure zero harm, safety statistics, safety bench-marking and innovation in going forward so we don’t harm anyone in producing that gold bar”, he added.
AngloGold operations in Ghana
Already, AngloGold Ashanti after the shut down of it’s Obuasi Mine in 2014 and subsequent reopening in 2019, is undergoing a redevelopment project scheduled to take approximately 30 months to deliver with an approximately 22-year life of mine, to produce four hundred thousand ounces of gold per annum after the reopening.
The project phase also includes the redesigned underground mine, refurbished and upgraded underground and surface infrastructure to support efficient operations.
Speaking on this development, Mr. Jasper Musadaidzwa appealed for government’s assistance to help them achieve the set target.
Meanwhile, government says it is expecting to receive direct taxes of about $2.2 billion from the reopened Anglogold Ashanti Gold Mine, should Anglogold meet the target of producing an estimated 500,000 ounces of gold each year.
About the summit
The GMES is a biennial exhibition and conference that focuses on the development of mining and energy resources as well as translating its benefits into sustainable development opportunities for all citizens of Ghana and to some extent, the West Africa sub-region.