At the start of the Obuasi Redevelopment Project in 2019, the Obuasi mine rolled out a three-year Social Management Plan (SMP) that had as its theme “Diversification of the Local Economy”. This plan, implemented in partnership with stakeholders, aimed to contribute to the socio-economic development of the Obuasi communities.
Through this plan, AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine has spent more than $5 million on direct community investment. The key interventions covering education, health, infrastructure, water and sanitation, among others. The Kwame Nkrumah University campus, commissioned by the HE President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, forms part of the initiatives under the 3-year SMP.
As the SMP drew to a close in 2021, consultations were carried out, culminating in a longer-term Socio-economic Plan (SEDP), keeping in mind the longer-life of mine and the need for continuity in sustaining community support/social license to operate.
Our sustainable development units are entities that help provide certain services, initially to mine employees but then expanded to include residents within and beyond the mine’s catchment area. These units have transitioned into independent entities, each with its own management and board of directors. This was done so that these units may continue to exist after mine operations have ceased.
AGA Obuasi Community Trust Fund
Established in 2012, the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund oversees implementation of community developmental projects in the areas of education, health and sanitation, and economic empowerment. Since 2019, AngloGold Ashanti Ghana has contributed $2 per ounce produced to the Trust Fund.
Below are some initiatives implemented by the Trust Fund in partnership with AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine as part of its SMP:
Education
Scholarship packages for 120 tertiary level students residing within the mine’s operational footprint.
Economic development
Launched the Economic Development Programme at the AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Enterprise and Skills Development Centre to provide vocational skills training to enable attendees to obtain a professional occupation and equip them to commercialise their businesses. The current programme provides training on hand sanitiser production, fashion design, leather and beaded accessory production. Training equipment such as such as sewing machines, leather and bead making machines, hand tools, fabrics and beads have been provided by the Trust Fund.
Health
Constructed, commissioned and handed over a new, fully furnished 16-bed capacity maternity block to the Obuasi Government Hospital.
Enterprise skills and development center
The Enterprise and Skills Development Centre established by the Trust Fund provides training to residents and businesses in host communities on topics such as finance, trade, and enterprise and business development. The centre has also trained women entrepreneurs in business development, and presented technical workshops on auto diagnostic services.
Training programmes
- AngloGold Ashanti, through its Obuasi mine, partnered with Invest in Africa to implement the Small and Medium Enterprise Training Programme to build the capacity of local SMEs in host communities. Some 100 small and medium enterprises have received training in business development and management and were placed in the African Partner Pool database to promote their products and services to make it easier for big companies to find them. These SMEs also participated as exhibitors in the Annual Obuasi Trade Show
- 200 women entrepreneurs received business management training. Of these, 150 have formalised their businesses and another 50 successfully accessed the Covid-19 alleviation fund
- 200 garage operators were trained in auto diagnostics to improve their technical skills and marketability
- 35 media practitioners in and around Obuasi received trained to increase their knowledge of and improved their expertise in reporting on the extractive/mining sector
- AngloGold Ashanti, through its Obuasi mine, partnered with MultiChoice Ghana Ltd, with 50 youths from host communities attending training in digital satellite installation. As part of the collaboration, all 50 beneficiaries will be enrolled on the MultiChoice (DSTV) Direct Sales Force.
Social infrastructure
- Construction of 1.3 km Kunka Junction-Nyameso stretch of road in Obuasi at a cost of $1million. This road links neighboring towns including Dunkwa, Jacobu, and Kumasi
- Construction of a training and rehabilitation centre to support and empower persons with disability and facilitate their inclusion in Obuasi town’s socio-economic development
- As part of AngloGold Ashanti’s Institutional Strengthening Initiative, donations made to the Ghana Police in Obuasi included:
- Two brand new Toyota Hilux pick-ups
- Printers and desktop computers to effectiveness of law enforcement in Obuasi
Obuasi Trade Show
The Obuasi Trade Show is organised and funded by AngloGold Ashanti. Run under the auspices of the Trade Promotion Programme it had as its theme in 2022 “Diversifying the Local Economy of Obuasi through Trade Promotion”. The show, run annually since 2019 to promote small-medium scale businesses and help diversify the Obuasi economy, has benefitted over 200 entrepreneurs and business owners. The trade show is implemented in partnership with the Obuasi Municipal Business Advisory Center of Ghana Enterprise Agency.
