The Board Chairman of the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation, NADeF, Prof Yaw Ofosu-Kusi, has assured the Ahafo mining communities of the Foundation’s commitment to the development of the area.

He said the Foundation, funded through the annual contributions of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, has done a lot towards sustainable community development. 

He, however, noted the recent encroachment of some illegal miners on the concessions of Newmont, a situation he said requires engagement.

The board chairman made the remarks after a media briefing of the Foundation’s activities and a tour of some community project sites.

He said it is what Newmont can do that the Foundation gets its funding to significantly improve the development of the mining communities and as such imperative to make people aware of the good works of the Foundation, supported by Newmont.

Prof Ofosu-Kusi said, “This would help people have second thoughts when they are thinking of the contributions of Newmont and NADeF for the development of these communities”.

He noted that the beneficiaries, in some cases, go beyond the mining communities as people from other parts of Ghana also benefit from the cross-community projects.

“We want people to be aware that your money is being used for a good purpose, so there is a good reason to support what the foundation is doing,” he urged people to be ambassadors of the Foundation.

 “We are committed to doing as much as possible to promote and make a contribution to the development of the Ahafo mining communities to complement the efforts of government and other stakeholders,” he stressed.

NADeF was established in 2008 as the main driver of sustainable development in the 10 Ahafo mine communities – Kenyasi No.1, Kenyasi No.2, Ntotroso, Gyedu, and Wamahinso in the Asutifi North District, and Yamfo, Susuanso, Afrisipakrom, Terchire, and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality.

As of December 2022, Newmont had contributed over 136 million Ghana cedis, comprising 1 dollar per ounce of gold produced and 1 percent of the annual net pre-tax profit from the Ahafo mines. So far, over 76 million Ghana cedis have been spent on projects.

There is also an endowment fund invested to sustain the activities of NADeF after the life of the mine.

Providing further details on the Foundation's accomplishment, Executive Secretary of NADeF, Elizabeth Opoku-Darko, said 1,782 community members have benefited from Microcredit worth over 3.3million Ghana cedis, 698 individuals, including 37 Doctors, have been trained as pharmacists, lab technicians, nurses, public health, and physician assistants, 348 engineers, and 3,149 trained in the Humanities, including 16 lawyers.

Others include the establishment of the College of Nursing - Ntotroso, College of Health -Yamfo, Police Training School -Kenyasi No1, and 11,659 youth awarded scholarships to the tertiary, SHS levels and apprenticeship training.

In infrastructure development, she disclosed that over 153 infrastructure and social amenities have been completed and handed over, including health centres, dormitories, training centres, palaces, school blocks, administration blocks, water projects, and social centres.

The Executive Secretary also said an average of 70 community members –skilled and unskilled, are employed for six months yearly for construction projects, while an average of 15 local contractors are engaged yearly with an average of 8 million cedis paid to them annually.

Madam Opoku-Darko explained that funds are spent on thematic areas with Human Resource Development at 28 percent, Economic Empowerment and Social Amenities and infrastructural Development at 25 percent each, Cultural Heritage at 13 percent, Natural Resources Management and Sports at 4 per cent each, and 1 percent to youth development.

The Board Chairman of NADeF, Prof Ofosu-Kusi, said they can only accumulate more funds to embark on more projects if there is peace and stability in the activities of Newmont.

He revealed that the Foundation has a system to maintain the projects, but also urged the community members to own them.