ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI LAUNCHES DEVELOPMENT TRUST FUND (PAGE 60)

THE management of Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines, has launched a $250,000 Community Development Trust Fund to support development programmes in the various communities within its catchment area.
The mining company would invest one per cent of its annual profit in the fund to enable it to make positive impact on beneficiary communities.
As part of the ceremony, a 13-member steering committee, which includes representatives of traditional rulers, the municipal assembly and the company, was inaugurated to manage the fund.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, who inaugurated the committee, said it was important for the chiefs and people of the beneficiary communities to appreciate the fact that the fund was not meant for their personal gains.
She explained that the fund was to support sustainable development programmes and projects that would benefit present and future generations.
Ms Aryee urged members of the committee to undertake projects that would be of tremendous benefit to the people.
She mentioned such projects as roads, educational facilities, potable water, health facilities and small-, medium- and large-scale industries as some of the projects that should be initiated for the benefit of the people "as a way of leaving a legacy that would be of tremendous benefit to present and future generations".
The Managing Director of the company, Mr John Miller, noted that the launch of the fund, “marks an era in which the community is not consulted about projects, instead it is actively involved in proposing, developing and selecting the most beneficial and relevant projects from a community viewpoint".
Mr Miller pointed out that the fund “also incorporates a broader range of participants in the process than in the past, such that traditional leaders, the government and the mines are all involved in the process in ensuring a more informed and holistic outcome".
Mr Miller recalled the numerous projects the mining company had initiated to support the development initiatives of the communities in its catchment area and said, in addition to the benefits which allowed individuals to build homes, educate their families and enjoy a more prosperous life, one needs only to look towards hospitals, schools, government buildings and other infrastructure.