The Coordinator for National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP), Dr Louise Carol Serwaa Donkor, has appealed to mining companies to engage in legacy projects to transform the country.
She made the call at a meeting with Goldfields Ghana Ltd in Accra last Friday,
Dr Donkor said undertaking viable and responsible projects in the communities would not only spur community growth but would also create a long-lasting, unique bond between the company and communities, ensuring smooth operations.
She said one of the ways mining companies could make a long-term and sustainable impact was by collaborating to build a Mining Museum and also contribute to the development of the GoldSouk – a gold marketplace where young people can learn how to make artisan jewellery.
She also stated that the rehabilitation and reclamation of destroyed lands, as well as the provision of employment along the value chain of their operations, would make a positive impression in the communities.
Dr Donkor urged the company to work with NAELP to rehabilitate and restore some degraded lands that can be used for alternative livelihood sources, as well as to work on livelihood options along mining value chains.
She observed that before the establishment of NAELP, large-scale mining companies had been making significant investments in their communities to provide alternative sources of livelihood and urged the companies to scale up those investments and CSR projects.
“We want to learn about what you’ve been doing in terms of CSR and the forecast for the future. The idea is that government cannot do it all so we want to build some collaboration on mutual interests,” she added.
The Community Affairs and Public Relations Manager of Goldfields GH Ltd, Madam Florence Ansere-Bioh, stated that the company has been committed to the growth of communities within its catchment areas since its inception.
She welcomed NAELP’s offer to work with Goldfields to create sustainable and valid opportunities for Ghanaians living in mining areas.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
