Stories from Alfred Adams
After years of working without electricity, staff of the Tarkwa Ghana Education Service (GES) can heave a sigh of relief, after the management of Goldfields Ghana Limited, a mining company operating in Tarkwa, connected the beautiful storey building office complex to the national grid at the weekend, at a cost of GH¢125,012.
The completion and imminent inauguration of the electricity connection to the office complex, according to the management of the company, symbolizes what it stands for – caring for the communities in which it operates.
That apart, the management of GGL also made a donation of educational materials such as books, pencils, and bags among others, to cushion the plight of parents in its catchment areas.
The materials were distributed to schools such as the Goldfields School Complex, Brahabobom Primary, Atuabo Primary and Ackon M/A Primary.
The rest are the John Taylor Primary, Samanhu Richard Graham Primary, and Pepessa Primary School.
The distribution of the school materials is estimated to have cost GH¢44,136.
The company also presented two motorcycles to the staff of the Hunniso Clinic to facilitate the transportation of the staff.
It was more of a jamboree for the staff of the GES, who have been working in the beautiful edifice without electricity, since the structure was put up some three years ago.
In fact, it was not only the staff of the GES who were delighted about the development, but the chiefs and management of the mining company as well.
This development moved the General Manager of GGL, Mr. Michiel Van der Merwe, who put it bluntly; “Permit me to say that I am highly elated to be standing here today to say few words during the inauguration of the linkage of the GES office accommodation to the national grid.”
According to him, the GGL is well recognised by it host communities for the immense contributions it has been making towards socio-economic development.
He added that studies had shown that the GGL was the national leader in corporate social responsibility through its flagship foundation established some ten years ago.
The General Manager further added that as a result of the company’s contribution towards the overall development of its host communities, it had received awards from the Ghana Investment Promotional Council.
He said, over the last ten years, the GGL Foundation had expended over $25 million in it host communities towards programmes and projects that were meant to bring about significant development.
In 2013, for example, according to the General Manager, the company was poised to spend over $3 million in that direction.
General Manager Merwe said the GGL Foundation, in the year 2005, decided to intervene in the socio-economic development of its host communities in a more formal and structured manner, and tapped into the Medium Term Development Plans of the Municipal and District Assemblies to fashion its developmental agenda for the host communities in areas such as agriculture, education, health and capacity building among others.
In the area of education, the General Manager pointed out that a lot of inroads had been made in the provision of educational infrastructure, with all communities having schools constructed by the Foundation up to the Junior High School level.
That apart, the company has also contributed in significant terms to ensure quality education for the youth of the host communities.
He added: “All these have been done to enable our host communities reap the maximum of educational benefits, as a result, I was, therefore, not the least surprised when a teacher at the Nana Amoakwaw School at Damang was adjudged the National Best Teacher this year. I am hoping that all our efforts in the educational field will continue to yield more results, culminating in more awards being won.”
Touching on health, he said, health facilities formed a key linkage in their host communities’ health delivery strategy. “We have provided two clinics for our host communities.”
He added that the Huniso Clinic had an outreach programme to the other outlying rural communities. “We, being aware of the struggles that the staff of the clinic go through in trying to reach these outlying communities, decided to provide them with two motorcycles to assist in their work.”
The Community Affairs Manager of GGL, Mr. Mubashir Tahiru Dari, told the gathering that his company had good relationships with it host communities, and expressed the hope that the relationship would grow from strength to strength.
The Chairman of the occasion, Nana Ansah, who is also the Chairman of the Catchments Communities, lauded the socio-economic contributions of the GGL, adding that the company was truly in to help its host communities.
Pix- The GGL General Manager, Van Merewe
A chief turns on electricity for the office
Traditional rulers at the ceremony