The partnership between Anglogold Ashanti and Randgold Resources aimed at redeveloping the Obuasi mine is expected to create about 3,500 jobs.

The two mining giants last month signed a 50-50 joint venture agreement involving an initial investment sum of about 6 million dollars to revive the mine.

Residents in the area have since, vowed to resist any attempt to sideline them in the employment processes.

Municipal Chief Executive of Obuasi, Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi Monday issued a stern warning saying the company will not be allowed to operate unless it employs a significant number of its workforce from the municipality.

He said residents will put their lives on the line to ensure the group employs people from Obuasi.

But Chief Executive Officer of Rand-Gold Mark Bristow tells JOY BUSINESS the entire business community of Obuasi will to a large extent gain from the impending arrangement to revamp the mine.

He pointed out that Randgold employs “about 3,500 people in the in Kibali in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and probably about a similar number in Loulo-Gounkoto mine which are both big mines – somewhere around that is what we will eventually employ.”

Mr. Bristow emphasized that “we as gold miners in Ghana can ensure that the jewellery makers are supported with Ghanaian gold. We have some other products that we have looked at particularly in Mali and we’ve learnt a lot about doing that and I’m certainly supportive of any replication here in Ghana, in principle.”

He added that Randgold has a company called Kankamusa in Mali which supplies gold to the gold trade - that is the traditional jewellers and the manufacturers of jewellery - saying “it is not a lot of gold but it makes sense to support that industry".

The group is hoping to commence operation by April next year.