AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem) Limited has initiated a process to reconstitute its Community Liaison Group (CLG) to broaden its mandate of serving as an umbrella body to which all other committees in the host communities would report.
The step was part of efforts to enhance mutual respect, trust, cooperation and good neighbourliness with its host communities.
A statement issued and signed by the Communications Department of Iduapriem to the Ghana News Agency explained that the CLG organised a forum once every quarter for the Mine to disclose findings of its Environmental Monitoring Report to enable members share experiences and discuss issues that affect several or all host communities.
The statement said, Mr Emmanuel Baidoo, the Senior Manager for Sustainability for Iduapriem Mine, at a stakeholder consultative meeting on the CLG reconstitution, said with the formation of a Community Employment Committee and the Mine’s quest to empower host communities to have a sustainable future, it had become necessary for the CLG to be reconstituted to give them a new focus and direction.
“We have inaugurated a 10-member Community Employment Committee to coordinate and ensure fairness and transparency in the community employment process in our host communities.
“The CLG will, therefore, handle grievances escalating from the employment committee and all other committees to be formed by the Mine,” it added.
According to the statement, the Iduapriem Mine had shown a strong commitment in integrating community development and economic considerations into its core business decision-making to ensure communities and societies in which it operated were better off for AngloGold Ashanti.
It expressed the hope that the work of the CLG would complement efforts of the Mine to sustain the goodwill, support and mutually beneficial relationship with host communities and stakeholders.
Mr Ernest Amoateng, the Assembly Member for Teberebie Electoral Area, said the reconstitution of the CLG would help to deepen the relationship between the Mine and host communities to ensure participatory decision making towards development.
He urged all stakeholders to support the Mine in the reconstitution processes to bring enhanced mutually beneficial relationships.
The CLG is expected to draw membership from divisional and host community chiefs, Municipal and District Assemblies, regulatory bodies, opinion leaders, Non-Governmental Organisations, and representatives of women and youth groups.
Source: GNA
