Accra, Aug 21, GNA - Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) on Monday underlined its commitment to develop talents throughout the country and not only in communities where it was operating.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) following the First Newmont Ghana National Youth Achievers Awards 2006, Dr Chris Anderson, Newmont External Affairs Director for Africa, said in this direction, the Company supported the Awards with 500 million cedis and was constantly looking out for like-minded parties and companies to develop youth talents since they formed the bedrock of Ghana's development effort.

He was reacting to concerns that the Company seemed to be investing only in communities where it was operating. "This is one of the ways by which we can reach the common goal of reducing poverty and improving on livelihoods through generating sustainable economic activities.

He said as a young Company, it had started by collaborating with the Foundation for Future Leaders International, Excellence Awards Foundation and the Junior Graphic to support and sponsor young people to participate in leadership and management roles in their own businesses. The Youth Achievers Awards is collaboration between Millennium Excellence Awards Foundation and Newmont Ghana with sponsorship from other private companies.

It seeks to empower the youth in community activism, national development, political awareness and sustainable peace in the country. So far, Newmont Ghana has already spent about 1.4 billion cedis in its Ahafo community on youth specific initiatives including skills training, education, infrastructure development and capacity building initiatives. It has also sunk another 300 million cedis on youth programmes in Accra and Akyem.

Dr Anderson said Newmont was honoured to be part of rewarding youth achievement in the country, and pleaded with other private sector operators to support the identification of profitable and sustainable economic ventures in the youth while helping to shape others to make the needed impact in their chosen endeavour.

"Our vision is to create long-term value in the communities and the nations in which we operate. Therefore, recognizing and empowering the youth through such capacity building initiatives form a strong basis of our overall business strategy," he said.

Dr Yaw Perbi, a medical practitioner and a motivational speaker, won the Newmont Ghana Highest Award for Excellence while Ms Abena Amoah, a stockbroker, won the Dr Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng Award for Tertiary Academic Excellence.

Twenty-two other youths, who had exhibited rare skills, innovation and excellence in all the 10 regions in their chosen fields of endeavour also received awards

Dr Hakeem Wemnah, Chairman of the Excellence Awards Foundation, urged the youth to say no to the canker of corruption perceived to be eroding confidence in the country.

"You must detest and despise the flourishing illegal drug trade and all its perpetrators," stressing that, "the drug trade is seriously undermining and negating all the other gains that Ghana has achieved. If you do not do this, you will be inheriting a nation without respect, without honour and worst of all, without control of your own destiny and be a laughing stock in the eyes of the rest of the world."

Dr Hakeem said Ghana was destined to be a great country and could be greater if the youth got the right protection from vices. Mrs Doreen Owusu Fianko, Director of the Foundation, expressed regret that the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the country was three per cent and 90 per cent of all those affected were between the ages of 15 years and 49 years.

"I can only encourage you to uphold values such as self discipline, God fearing, honesty and responsible citizenry in your communities. 21 Aug. 06