GHANAIAN Australian Goldfields (GAG) paid ?13.9 billion in royalties to the government last year.

GAG has also paid ?4.3 billion as royalties for the first quarter of this year.

The managing director of GAG, Mr David Renner, said this when he briefed the Western Regional Minister, Mr J. B. Aidoo, and the media during a working visit to the mines.

He said the production rate of the company by the end of 1999 was 2.90 million tonnes per month.

According to Mr. Renner, the acquisition of the Teberebie pits and the East heap leach infrastructure has added eight more years of production life to the operations of the mine.

He said the company has invested $ 200,000 into studies for a community development plan to ensure the sustenance of socio-economic life in the area after the closure of the mine.

Mr Renner said the project is being sponsored by the Dutch Government.

According to the managing director, monitoring of the operations of GAG is carried out in line with national and international requirements.

He said 60 hectares of a tailing dump in the mine has been re-vegetated with creeping grass and leuceana plants.

He noted that the AGC Group, of which GAG is a member, has corporate objective to certify all its mines to 15014001 standards by the end of 2004.

Mr Renner further stated that GAG has an active community relations programme.

He said Adieyie village, which is a relocated settlement, has been provided with two wells fitted with hand pumps, school buildings and furniture.

He said Wangarakrom has also received a 33-seater bus from GAG to ease the people’s accessibility to Tarkwa.