Ahafo Fenceline Communities Benefit From Newmont’s Agricultural Improvement Programme 

As part of measures to ensure sustainable development in its host communities, Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo mine continues to pursue social intervention programmes aimed at improving the lives of communities around the mine. A number of these interventions are in the area of Agricultural Improvement support as most communities in the Brong Ahafo area are agrarian.

The company has instituted a special initiative to improve the lives of the people close to the boundaries of the Ahafo Mine site. These beneficiary communities, known as fence line communities, include Dokyikrom, Yarogrumah, Amankonakrom, Oseiwusukrom, Tailorkrom, Manushed, Ananekrom, Nsonyameye No. 1, Nsonyameye No. 2 and Akorekrom.

The initiative, known as the Fence line Communities Management Initiative, includes the periodic spraying of cocoa farms, provision of crop seedlings and plantain suckers to farmers, provision of farm animals and training in animal husbandry, establishment of micro enterprise training (soap making, bakery etc.), provision of teaching and learning materials, and the construction of boreholes.

About 400 farmers have benefitted from the cocoa spraying exercise covering an area of over 3000 acres while 700 pupils from these communities have each received a package that consists of a solar lamp, school bag, exercise books and pens.

At a special ceremony organized at the instance of the Fence line communities at the Ntotrosohene’s palace, a 30 man delegation lauded the Ahafo Mine for its support to the communities, especially in the area of Agriculture.

“Thanks to Newmont, Agriculture in our communities is booming. The consistent spraying of our cocoa farms and provision of cocoa seedlings and plantain suckers have helped us to greatly improve our farms,” said Nana Kwadwo Kyei-Bonsu, Chief of Dokyikrom on behalf of the delegation.

Joep Coenen, General Manager of Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo Mine, commended the communities for “proving that dialogue based on mutual respect and understanding yields positive results”.

He appealed for deeper integration of the communities into the mainstream communities so they can benefit more from the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF), a sustainable community development Foundation where Newmont makes an annual contribution of US$1 per ounce of gold produced and 1% of net profit from the Ahafo Mine. The Ahafo Mine has so far contributed $23 million dollars to the fund.

Barima Twereku Ampem III, Omanhene of Ntotroso congratulated the Ahafo Mine for its contributions towards the socio economic development of the District and urged the fence line communities to always resort to dialogue based conflict resolution with the mine instead of demonstrations.

Through the Newmont Ahafo Development foundation, modern school complexes and teachers’ quarters have been constructed in the communities. Students and pupils across the various levels of education have been beneficiaries of various scholarship packages by the foundation.