Obuasi (Ashanti), 5th May ?99 ?

Resolute Amansie Limited, a mining company, has spent a total of 1.4 billion cedis on Community development projects within its mining concession areas in the past two years.

Mr Randal Barnes, Operational Manager of the company's Obotan Gold Project, told newsmen on a tour of the mines on Monday that of the amount, 200 million cedis went into water and sanitation, 91.8 million cedis into Education and 120 million cedis into health.

Other areas of development funded by the company include road rehabilitation which took one billion cedis and awards to farmers on which the company spent one million cedis.

''This expenditure is aside of royalties paid to the central government and another 300 million cedis in property rates paid to the District Assembly."

Mr Barnes said "a lot more services have been provided to the communities but these cannot be quantified."

He said at present, the company has initiated a "sustainable Livelihood Programme," which is geared towards poverty alleviation.

Under it, about 300 farmers within the 16 communities of the area have been registered for loan assistance to enable them expand their farms.

In the past six months, 280 of these farmers have been given assistance in the form of inputs worth between 300,000 cedis and 800,000 cedis depending on their requirements, he said.

GRi