Children Briefed On Importance Of Mining

A PUBLIC education to explain the processes involved in gold mining has been held for school children in the Asutifi District of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

At the forum, the Newmont Ghana Gold Company, operating in the Ahafo areas of the region, cleared misconceptions the children had about mining, and gave the cultural and historical significance of gold to the nation.

Selected from the Ntotoroso Methodist Basic, Ntotoroso and Kenyasi resettlement schools, the children were taken through the seven stages of mining; exploration, feasibility, study, mine construction, mining, processing, reclamation and mine closure.

To deepen their understanding, the stages were dramatized by perfect stars, a drama troupe based in Accra.

Some of the children who interacted with the Times, said that they were happy to learn that Newmont would vegetate stockpiles of waste with local plant species and fill out mine pits with water for possible agricultural use.

Addressing them, the Communications Manager of the Mining Company, Ms Mawuena Dumor, mentioned the opportunities that the mine projects were creating for the long term economic, social and intellectual wealth for the communities in which they were located.

She said that in future the children were the ones who would execute the communities development work and it was necessary they understood what "mining is all about".

She said the company had also been engaged in various stakeholder outreach activities using culturally appropriate channels of communication to discuss with stakeholders and build consensus about key aspects of the project's development.

Ms Dumor noted that "Newmont is the first mining company to produce public disclosure documents for the public to receive feed-back from stakeholder on critical aspects of the mine project's development."

Mining by the company began in January this year, and the first gold point is expected in July.

Mr Samuel Jainie Kow-fie, Headmaster of Ntotoroso Methodist Basic School, thanked the "organizers for the exercise which would go a long way for the children to recognize the importance of mining."