MINING COMPANY PROVIDES PROJECTS IN WR (PAGE 35, SEPT 29, 2010)

GOLD Fields Ghana (Tarkwa Mine) Limited has completed four projects for some communities within its catchment area in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality in the Western Region.
The US$892,000 projects were under the company’s second phase community projects programme for the 2010 financial year which ended in June, this year.
The projects include a classroom block for the Junior High School at Brahabebome, teachers’ quarters at Pepesa, nurses’ quarters for the Tarkwa Government Hospital and the renovation of the municipal labour office for the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly.
The total amount so far spent on the community projects in the 2010 financial year is US$ 2.1 million (GH¢2.9 million).
The communities that benefited from the projects include Tarkwa, Samahu, Abekoase, Tebe, Huniso, Pepesa, Brahabobom, New Atuabo, Akoon and Awudua.
During the financial year under review, the mining company also implemented a cage culture fish project at Tarkwa, the Abekoase agribusiness project, the Awudua oil palm project and the Huniso agribusiness project.
The General Manager of Gold Fields Ghana, Mr Alfred Baku, announced these at the inauguration of some of the projects at Brahabebome.
He said the company’s flagship community development programme, the Sustainable Community Empowerment and Economic Development (SEED) Programme, which was a five year community development plan for the primary stakeholder communities, would end next month.
Mr Baku said results from a preliminary final evaluation were positive and that a few challenges identified were being addressed.
Mr Baku also said the scholarship scheme that was instituted in 2005/2006 academic year for brilliant, needy students in the communities to pursue studies at the vocational, senior, technical and tertiary levels of education was on course.
He said a total of 201 students had so far benefited from the scholarship scheme, adding that new beneficiaries would soon be selected for the scheme this academic year.
The general manager stated that the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at Tarkwa was a unique educational facility in the country.
He said it was therefore, important that the university was continuously assisted to achieve its aim of becoming a centre of excellence in Africa.
Mr Baku said the last five years, the company had through the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation assisted the university to the tune of over US$ 340,000 on various projects, including the establishment of V-Sat Internet facility, acquisition of some geological equipment and the construction of a geological engineering laboratory.
He announced that an additional amount of US$ 100,000 had been donated by the foundation to help the university to complete the construction of the geological engineering laboratory.
He said the above showed the commitment of Gold Fields to ensuring that the only university of mines in Ghana indeed became a centre of excellence.
Mr Baku said the Tarkwa T&A football park, which was in very bad shape, was currently being rehabilitated by the foundation at the total cost of US$ 650,000.00.
He said the focus areas of the company from now till December 2010, would be the completion of the T&A park project, implementation of agribusiness projects, distribution of oil palm seedlings, rehabilitation of roads and wells in the catchment communities, implementation of community health programmes and a pilot programme for a small town water supply project.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, in an address read on his behalf, urged the beneficiary communities to make good use of the facilities and to take good care of them to prolong their life span.
He said the completion of the projects was an ample demonstration of the mutual understanding and co-operation between the mining company and the chiefs and people in the catchment area of the company.
Mr Aidoo expressed the hope that the commitment showed by Gold Fields Ghana in the development of communities within its catchment area would be emulated by other companies operating in the Western Region.