The Golden Star Wassa Limited, a gold mining company, on Wednesday handed over a 16-seater public place of convenience built at the cost of 81,000 US dollars to the Mpohor Community at Mpohor. The company has spent over 150,000 dollars on various projects including the dislodging of seven different heaps of waste dumps, the disinfection of all domestic wells and the mechanization of the local water system. Mr. Neale Laffin, General Manager of the Company, said the company paid an amount of 3,412,471 dollars as royalties to the government in the second quarter of this year. He said the company had spent an amount of 500,000 dollars on community projects in the areas of education, water and sanitation this year. Mr. Laffin said the company has provided scholarships to 42 brilliant but needy students in second cycle institutions and a total of 35 students would join the scheme this year including 10 from Mpohor. He said the company has initiated a Youth Apprenticeship Training Programmed in employable skills development in masonry, carpentry and mobile phone repairs. Mr. Laffin said a total of 60 youth in the company's operational sites would benefit from the programme when it takes off in November at Ningo. Mr. Anthony Bassaw, Mpohor Wassaw East District Chief executive, expressed the appreciation of the community to the company for its assistance. He urged the company to take steps to reduce the level of noise and environmental damage caused by "Blasting at its sites". He said some residents were not happy that the blasts were causing cracks in their buildings.Source: GNA