Gold Fields Ghana Limited (Tarkwa Mine) won the topmost and coveted Mining Company of the Year award at the 7th Ghana Mining and Industry Awards (GMIA), held in Accra last Friday.
The flagship award is bestowed on a mining company that has achieved the highest aggregate score in environmental management, occupational health and safety, local content, corporate social investment, innovation and fiscal contribution.
Gold Fields’ Damang Mine also picked up the award for Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Project of the Year. The winning project is the upgrade of the Huni-Valley Health Centre, which has improved access to healthcare in the mine’s host communities. This is the second consecutive year the Damang Mine has won this category. The Tarkwa Mine was the runner up for the Best Performer in Local Content award.
“Our operational excellence and responsible mining practices put us ahead as leaders in the mining industry in Ghana,” said Mr Alfred Baku, the Executive Vice President and Head of Gold Fields West Africa.
“We aim to create lasting value for all our stakeholders, and we are pursuing this agenda aggressively through innovation and technology to improve safety, reduce cost, enhance operational efficiency and sustain our business,” he said.
On the CSI project, Mr Baku noted that: “The Huni-Valley Health Centre was expanded from a nine-bed clinic to a 32-bed clinic, providing designated male, female and children’s wards and equipped with modern medical equipment. The facility now provides additional health services such as reproductive and adolescent health and wellbeing clinics, as well as an infectious disease control and surveillance unit.
“Improving access to quality healthcare in our host communities is one of the five main focus areas of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation”.
On the same night, the company’s Finance team also won the award for Accounting and Finance Team of the Year (Mining) at the Ghana Accountancy and Finance Awards.
“This is an extraordinary feat achieved collectively by our hardworking and talented teams. We are all proud of this accomplishment and I’m particularly thrilled that our people continue to give their best to help us achieve our targets,” Mr Baku added.
Organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the GMIA is the only mining industry-focused awards that celebrate excellence and responsible mining in Ghana. The Ghana Accountancy and Finance Awards also recognises accounting standards and excellent financial stewardship.
Gold Fields’ past GMIA recognitions
Gold Fields has a rich history of picking up notable awards and recognitions at the GMIA. Last year, the Damang Mine won the CSI Project of the Year award with the rehabilitated 33-km Tarkwa-Damang road, which the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation funded at a cost of US$27.6m.
The asphalt road, which was completed in 2019, was recognised for delivering positive socio-economic impact in the mine’s host communities by boosting economic activities, easing transportation and improving road safety.
The Damang Mine’s drilling optimisation programme also won the Best Performer in Innovation award last year. The Tarkwa Mine had previously won this same category in 2019.
Mr Baku and the General Manager of the Tarkwa Mine, Mr Stephen Osei-Bempah, both won the Mining Personality of the Year award in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The award, also known as the President’s Award, is one of the flagship individual leadership awards, and recognises mining leaders who promote Ghana’s mining industry, exhibit exemplary leadership and demonstrate high ethical standards.
The Metallurgical Manager of the Damang Mine, Catherine Kuupol Kuutor, won the Female Mining Professional of the Year award last year.
