Mr Joseph Nelson, the Western Regional Minister, has commended management of Heath Goldfields, operators of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine, for the significant work done in developing and bringing stability to the Mine over the past year.
He gave the commendation when he paid a working visit to the company, at Bogoso, to engage management and tour the facility to see the progress made after the current owners took over the Mine.
He said: “Last year, I came here a couple of times where I witnessed some agitations by workers who had not been paid, and when I was taken around the facility, I got depressed for seeing the state in which the Mine has been left.
“But thank God that the owners have really put action into it and today, the story is different because everything we have seen after going round is very impressive, so I want to commend management for the good work done over the period.”
Mr Nelson noted that mining had been a key part of the local people for over 100 years, and anytime the Mine went down, it had a ripple effect on the local economy, and that the significant investment made by the Heath Goldfields to get the Mine back in operation was a laudable move.
“For me as the Regional Minister, these are the things I want to see that the companies here are doing well and are impacting the lives of the local people positively, and once that happens, I can have my peace of mind,” he added.
Mr Patrick Appiah Mensah, the Managing Director (MD) of Heath Goldfields, outlining the company’s substantial economic impact within just one year of operation, said they had invested about $194 million to restore the Mine following a period of distress.
He said: “We have done extensive work to restore the Mine which is one of the largest concessions in the country, to its former glory. It has been explored and developed, and there is a lot of potential to exploit on this concession.”
According to him, the Mine had produced 17,000 ounces of gold, with the processing plant also operational and processed about 896,000 tons of ore so far.
Touching on local content, the MD said the Heath Goldfields had so far spent about GHS763 million in local procurement, and out of that, about GHS292 million was spent on procurement from the local catchment area including Bogoso, Prestea, Bondai, Simpa, Yiadwom, and Dampo.
He stated that Heath Goldfields’ aim was to be a catalyst for transformation in the region, leaving a legacy of sustainable development long after its mining operations had ceased.
“We want to be here for a long time, and we want to leave a good legacy, so that one day, when we are no longer here, people will say there were people that came here and then unlocked this Mine,” Mr Mensah added.
GNA
