Gold Fields has announced the appointment of Alfred Baku, formerly the General Manager of the Tarkwa Mine, as Vice President, Operations, for Ghana. In this new role, Mr. Baku will head all mining operations, and ensure excellence in core areas such as Mineral Resource Management, Metallurgy, Processes, Engineering, Finance and Business Improvement. He will also oversee Gold Fields Ghana’s centralised Human Resources and Sustainable Development services. The latter includes Health & Safety, Environment and Community Affairs. In 2008, Mr Baku became the first Ghanaian to be appointed General Manager (GM) of Gold Fields’ Damang mine, Abosso, and two years later became the GM of the Tarkwa Gold mine, Ghana’s largest gold mine. Mr Baku has over seventeen (17) years of mining experience in Ghana and Australia, ranging from technical to managerial expertise. Born in Kumasi, he attended the T I Ahmadiya Senior High School in Kumasi. He holds a Masters Degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Mines & Technology, Tarkwa, a Mine Manager’s certificate and is a member of the Australian Institute of Mining Metallurgy. Mr Baku has been a member of Gold Fields West Africa Region’s senior management team since 2002, where his strong operational leadership, coupled with his commitment to community relations, has had a positive impact on the success of both the Damang and Tarkwa mines. Peter Turner, Executive Vice President of Gold Fields West Africa, commented: “This appointment is a significant demonstration of our company’s localization policy, and the readiness of our local managers to take up leadership positions in the industry. "I am delighted that we have Ghanaians who have the capability and commitment to take the gold mining industry forward. I am confident that Alfred will raise the bar across our operations.” Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana