Accra, Ghana, December 4, 2019//-The environmental management practices being implemented by Newmont Goldcorp’s Akyem Mine are paying off.
At the just-ended Ghana Mining Industry Awards 2019 which was organized by the country’s Chamber of Mines, the mine beat its rivals to win the Best Performer in Environmental Management award.
Speaking to journalists after the awards, Acting General Manager for Newmont Goldcorp’s Akyem Mine, Justice Fenteng, said: “It is a great award, it demonstrates the good work we are doing”.
“Being the best in environmental management shows how we are looking after the environment”.
Mr Fenteng added the company had put in place a number of systems including biodiversity offset and reforestation projects to safeguard the flora and fauna in the areas affected by mining activities.
“So, you can see that sustainability is high up on our agenda. Water stewardship is also high up on the agenda, we are doing all these to better the community and the lives of the people that we are working with in the communities”.
The company recently announced that it restored impacted forest reserve by more than three times in fulfillment of a commitment it made in its environmental impact statement.
The mining giant had committed to replenish by three folds portions of the productive Ajenjua Bepo forest reserve that were impacted by the Akem mine’s operations which began in 2013.
101 hectares were impacted. So far, through the Newmont’s Akyem mine reforestation project supervised by the Forest Commission, it has restored 317 hectares of degraded forests to make up for the impact, officials of the mining company, disclosed.
This is more done the commitment made.
The first phase of the project was 60 hectares, while second phase is 257 hectares at the Kweikaru forest which was toured by the officials of the company and some members of Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA) recently.
African Eye Report
