Mining company, Transeco Minerals and Mining has constructed a six-unit Kindergarten for the people of Ampapatia in the Atiwa West District of the Eastern Region.
The facility is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) and is estimated at 295,000 cedis.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand over the school to the chiefs and people of the community, CEO of Transeco Minerals and Mining, Godwin Amarh said the role of education in every country’s development cannot be undermined hence the reason his company prioritizes education.
“We at Transeco Mining and Minerals Company have decided to ensure that children in communities where we operate are exposed to the best of teaching and learning environments at the lower levels of education. That is why we have made education a top priority on our corporate social responsibility.
I’m excited to be back at Ampapatia to commission this school. We all know how important education is to the growth of individuals and the country. In order to have brilliant students at higher levels of education, they must first have a strong foundation that is why we have built this Kindergarten”, he said.
He reiterated the importance of giving good and quality education to children at lower levels and how beneficial it is to building a strong foundation for them.
Mr. Amarh said the school is also an appreciation to the chiefs and people of Ampapatia who have maintained a healthy relationship with the company since they started their operations in the community.
Contributing to the community
Mr. Amarh further disclosed that Transeco Minerals and Mining also spent 43,000cedis to roof and renovate the chief’s palace.
He said an additional 1% of the company’s gross production amounting to over 320,000 cedis has been donated to the community fund to help in executing future projects in the community.
Advise to Small Scale Miners
Contrary to rumors and wild speculations that government has placed a ban on mining activities in the country, Mr. Amarh debunked the rumours and described it as not just inaccurate but false.
According to him, government has rather introduced new measures, policies and programmes aimed at making small scale mining productive and not destructive.
“Government has not banned activities of miners but rather categorized areas close to water bodies and forest reserves as red zones where no individual or company should mine. So what government is saying is that small scale miners should move away from the red zones. So anyone who does contrary to the directive by government will be dealt with by the laws of the country”, Mr. Amarh said.
He therefore advised small scale miners to go work but ensure that they mine at designated areas.
Mr. Amarh who also doubles as the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) admonished members of the group to impact positively on communities where they have concessions.
He said small scale miners must work to change the narrative that they are destroyers who only take from communities and give nothing back.
He said although most small scale miners are already doing that, there remains more to be done.
“Our sector employs a lot of people in communities where we operate. We must therefore work assiduously to leave a footprint. I know a lot of our members who have built schools and others have helped communities get electricity. We must push those stories out there to change the narrative that small scale miners only destroy’, he advised.
In conclusion Mr. Amarh advised small scale miners across the country to practice best international mining practices in order to end illegal mining which has resulted in land degradation and pollution of almost all water bodies across the country.
