Kenyasi (B/A), June 12, GNA - Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation, says it has a start-up commitment to employ at least 35 per cent of the local population in its total workforce at the Ahafo Project during the operation stage. Mr Colin Maddocks, Manager, Learning and Development Department of the Company, said 316 of the current 760 operation staffs were locals while 402 and 42 are non-locals and expatriate, respectively. "We will work with the community to seek a balance of people from the country and the communities in which we have our operations," he said.

Mr Maddocks said the Company was emphasizing training of the local population, especially those, who had been affected by the operations of the mine.

Currently there are 1,600 construction workers out of a total of 3,300 staff engaged at the peak of construction. This number is to be gradually phased out to zero by the end of July. Mr Maddocks asked the retrenched workers to utilise skills acquired in their future endeavours and for the benefit of their communities. He reiterated the Company's commitment to partner local communities for their mutual benefits and sustainable development of mining areas. "There is no better value than increasing the skills level of people in the local communities and equipping them to take tasks beyond just this project", he said.

In this direction, 178 trainees, who had gone through skills training programmes organised and sponsored by the Company were presented with Newmont/TICAP and Newmont/City and Guilds certificates. Mr James Badu, the Environment Manager, said the Company was adopting various strategies to protect the environment. These included the construction of environmental control dams to prevent cyanide and other chemicals as well as silt from entering water bodies. Mr Rany Barns, External Affairs Manager, said Newmont had so far spent 29 million dollars on resettlement, relocation, crop compensation and housing.

About nine million dollars had been paid to 3,000 farmers and more than 12 million dollars allocated for compensation.

Mr Barns said Newmont in collaboration with the Opportunity Industrialisation Centre was also providing training to offer vocational skills, financial management training programmes for farmers, who had been paid compensation.

Newmont, the world's biggest gold producer, acquired Normandy Mining, which was operating in Ghana, three years ago and has so far invested 476 million dollars in the Ahafo Project. It is scheduled to pour its first gold in the first week of July 2006 at the Ahafo Project as the Company gradually enters its operation phase.

'We are working to meet the schedule and so far we are on target," Mr John Mitchell, the Senior Metallurgist of Newmont, told journalists on the tour of the mine site. 12 June 06