Gold mining company, Gold Fields Ghana, (GFG) received two awards for its efforts in promoting Ghanaian businesses and boosting the local economy at the maiden edition of the Ghana Procurement and Supply Chain Awards.

GFG picked up the awards for Excellence in Procurement and Supply Chain (Mining), and Local Content and Supplier Development at a ceremony held in Accra.

More than 30 institutions and individuals were also recognised for their contributions to the industry with President Akufo-Addo receiving the Outstanding Leadership Award for his “visionary leadership and unflinching determination to transform procurement and supply chain thinking in Ghana”.

The Ghana Procurement and Supply Chain Awards seeks to honour companies and organisations that support the development of Ghanaian businesses by purchasing goods and services from them.

Gold Fields Ghana, which has operating mines in Tarkwa and Damang in the Western Region, says its local content strategy ensures that a significant amount of the company’s procurement expenditure goes to local contractors and suppliers.

In 2017, the company spent more than 80% of its total procurement expenditure on local suppliers.

Gold Fields Ghana expresses the commitment to helping Ghanaian businesses thrive

According to the mining company, the construction of a Tailings Storage Facility, which is a capital intensive project, at its Tarkwa mine was undertaken by a Ghanaian firm in 2017.

Also, the rehabilitation of a 33-km public road that links Tarkwa and Damang has been awarded to three Ghanaian firms through the Ghana Highways Authority.

“At Gold Fields, we have a comprehensive supplier development programme which focuses on building the capacity of local suppliers,” said Theophilus Otchere, Head of Supply Chain for Gold Fields’ operations in Ghana.

Gold Fields Ghana says more than 1,773 local suppliers and contractors were engaged at its Tarkwa mine alone in 2017.

The company, which has been operating in the country for the past 25 years, says it is also committed to increasing procurement and sourcing labour from communities surrounding its operations.

“We see our efforts yielding results as local businesses continue to grow, labour skills are improved and more jobs are created,” Mr Otchere added.

Gold Fields Ghana believes that strengthening the local supply chain is critical to the development of local economies, as well as the broader Ghanaian economy.