Obuasi (Ash), May 11, GNA- The Ashanti Goldfields Company's (AGC) merger with AngloGold is one of the remarkable successes the company chalked under the leadership of Dr Sam Jonah, Mr Daniel Owiredu, the Chief Operation Officer of AngloGold Ashanti, in-charge of West Africa has said.

He was speaking at a send-off organised for Dr Jonah at Obuasi last Saturday.

Dr Jonah assumes his new position as the President of AngloGold Ashanti and he is to be stationed in South Africa. Mr Owiredu said AGC's merger with AngloGold would create a world-class mining.

In a citation to support Dr Jonah, Mr Owiredu said, "under your leadership, AGC became the first African operating company to be listed on the world's most famous stock market, the New York Stock Exchange in February 1996.

He said as a result of his valuable services to Ghana and Africa, Dr Jonah was appointed as an international investment advisor to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.

Mr Owiredu said Dr Jonah led AGC from a single mine in Ghana into a multinational company with mining operations in Ghana, Guinea, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Sherwood International Limited of South Africa, suppliers of mining items described Dr Jonah as "baobab tree in mining". In a citation read by Mr Jacob Yeboah, the company's manager for West Africa, Sherwood assured Dr Jonah that it would support his new role by providing solutions to procurement and logistics opportunities in Africa.

The Adansihene, Nana Ofori Agyeman II, appealed to Dr Jonah to continue to support the development of the Adansi State. He wished him success in his new position as the president of AngloGold Ashanti.

Responding, Dr Jonah paid glowing tribute to the formidable team that he worked with. "The fact that I am the President of AngloGold Ashanti demonstrates what you as a team have done".

He gave the assurance that he would continue to take interest in the activities of the Obuasi mine, adding, "I will be sitting in Johannesburg with my eyes wide open to ensure that AngloGold Ashanti goes on well".