AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, has commissioned a GHS8.4 million state-of-the-art robotics centre to foster innovation and skills development among the youth in the Obuasi enclave.

The Obuasi Robotic Centre is equipped with modern lab compartments to provide learners with ideation to execution support in engineering, coding, and problem-solving innovation.

The intervention is aimed at transforming education and empowering AngloGold host communities to produce young entrepreneurs and inventors.

The Obuasi enclave boasts of science and technology schools, including the Obuasi Secondary Technical School, who are multiple trophy holders for nationwide science, invention and innovation challenges.

The Robotic Centre was built as part of AngloGold Ashanti’s broader educational transformation agenda on its 10-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP).

The centre includes a robotics lab; the engine room for hands-on innovation, and a general-purpose lab to imagine, design, and build.

The centre also includes an exhibition hall, to display and share achievements, and arduino lab, an open space for learning the language of modern electronics.

Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Ltd, Ing. Samuel Pobee indicated the centre is in line with the mine’s vision to facilitate development in Obuasi.

“We envision schools across our municipality forming robotics clubs, hosting competitions, and birthing teams of young engineers and inventors. This Centre aligns seamlessly with our Making Obuasi Great Again (MOGA) vision built on four key pillars: Safety, Production, People, and Sustainability.

“The heartbeat of this vision is a strong, skilled, forward-looking Obuasi, a community not left behind by progress, but leading its beloved students here. The world you are stepping into is being shaped by code, algorithms, robots, and artificial intelligence,” he said.

The centre will provide support to the Obuasi SecTech and neighboring schools in their existing and aspiring projects in agricultural and sustainability innovation.

Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, Faustilove Appiah Kannin, lauded AngloGold for the concerted commitment to influence progress in the municipality.

“This fully furnished center is not just a remarkable investment in physical infrastructure, but a profound investment in the future of our students and, by extension, the future of our beloved Municipality. We deeply appreciate the solid commitment of AngloGold Ashanti towards the development of Obuasi.

“By fostering a culture of innovation, we are preparing our students to become leaders, inventors, and problem-solvers who will drive progress in our Municipality and beyond. This beautiful state-of-the-art facility, I believe, does not have a match in the Region,” she said.

Ashanti Regional Director of Education, William Amankra Appiah, says the project will help efforts to transition education from theory to practice.

“This is remarkable, and it is not only for Obuasi but the advancement of STEM education in Ghana. The days of ‘chew and pour’ are gone, and the new wave of practicality takes over. Current trend is about the way learners think and do with their hands. This structure is a symbol of innovation and possibility,” he said.