Regional News of Saturday, 20 August 2005

Source: GNA

Tertiary students from mining areas complete leadership training

Accra, Aug. 20, GNA - Nine university students drawn from mining communities have completed a three-day leadership training under the auspicious of Newmont, Ghana, a gold mining company soon to start operation in Ghana.

A world-renowned motivational speaker, Mr Brain Tracy, took the students, who were chosen from the University of Ghana, Cape Coast University, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, through a series of lessons in leadership.

Building self-confidence, deploying and developing skills and human adjustment were some of the areas the students covered. Briefing the media on Saturday at a meeting to interact with the beneficiary students Ms Mawuena Dumor, Newmont Manager for Communications, said creating intellectual value formed part of the company's corporate responsibility policy.

She said besides the company's primary role of mining Newmont, Ghana, believes in demonstrating its corporate value to develop people in pursuit of excellence.

Ms Dumor said as a new company in the mining sector in Ghana, Newmont sought to collaborate with stakeholders to support the development of potential leaders.

"This has begun with the establishment of relationships with the tertiary institutions."

Dr Chris Anderson, Newmont International Director of External Affairs, urged the students never to stop striving to become leaders saying, "Never limit your horizons and don't say I can't do it or never think you are going to stop learning."

He said the company decided to support the seminar because it fitted into Newmont's future plans that rests on three main policy principles; sustainable development, health and education.

"We have never worked in Africa before, this is our first big effort in Africa and therefore want to learn and be part of Ghana," he said. Sharing their experiences, the students lauded the programme and agreed that, "In life, the ability to be successful finds expression in the words: "keeping focus on one's goal and having the ability to broaden one's scope and adjust to situations".

They said the speaker exposed them to life transforming issues and promised to extend the knowledge to their colleagues back in the universities and in their communities.