Educational development is an essential ingredient needed to unearth potentials in the Ghanaian youth, Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Manager, Sustainability, AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG) Limited, has observed.

“Education creates opportunity for the youth to acquire the requisite knowledge and skills, thereby empowering them to create wealth in order to alleviate poverty,” he said.

He pointed out that the Management of AGAG being guided by that noble concept, therefore, had found it necessary to feature educational issues prominently in the company’s Social Management Plan.

“The underlying benefits seek to build the capabilities and competencies of the youth at Obuasi in varied fields of disciplines, to help diversify the local economy through human resource development,” he noted.

Mr. Baidoo, addressing the closing session of a two-day training workshop for stakeholders in the educational sector at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, said the aim of the company was to serve as a catalyst for promoting quality educational delivery within the mining community.

They were working to achieve their objectives through partnership with key stakeholders such as the Ghana Education Service (GES), especially in the area of infrastructural development, capacity-building and also support for other initiatives relevant in raising the literacy level of the people.

The workshop, sponsored by AngloGold Ashanti, targeted School Improvement Supervisory Officers and other field officers of the GES in the Obuasi Municipality and Obuasi-East District.

It discussed topics, including ‘Data Analysis for Management’, ‘Contemporary Supervision and Teacher Support Model’, ‘Grant Proposal Writing and Reporting’.

The training was designed to build the capacity of the participants to gather data from community schools and analyze them, with the view to making informed decisions pertaining to educational development.

It also focused on reinforcing the existing supervisory skills and competencies of the GES field officers, as well as building their confidence to perform their tasks effectively.

Mr. Baidoo stated that AGAG had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the GES, with the prime goal to increase the pass rate of basic schools within the mining community.

“The aim is to increase the pass rate of basic schools from 80.6 per cent to 90 per cent by the end of 2021,” he insisted.

Mrs. Regina Teni Musah Mumuni, Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, lauded AGAG for its continuous material support, citing the donation of eight motorbikes to the GES recently to enhance its activities.

She called on the participants to take seriously the topics learnt at the training workshop for effective work.