AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem is targeting the production of 273,000 ounces of gold in 2019.
Senior Vice President, Continental Africa Region, Jasper Musadaidzwa is convinced they could even exceed it because “already we are trending above that target”.
Mr. Musadaidzwa was speaking at the Ghana Mining and Energy Summit in Accra under the theme ‘harnessing mining and energy potential to accelerate national development.’
He noted that, the company is achieving such feat because of its open door policy and bringing all employees onboard.
Mr. Musadaidzwa was happy that 99 percent of the workforce is Ghanaians doing such magic.
“This is done on the back of only two expatriates on site and the rest are local people. 99 percent are Ghanaians” he stressed.
However, to maintain such sterling performance; Mr. Musadaidzwa said they would need government’s assurance on stable electricity supply.
Mr. Musadaidzwa revealed how the erratic power supply popularly known as dumsor affected their profits and ability to pay royalties to government.
ALSO READ: The African Nation Built on Gold Loses Its Crown to a Rival
“We are saying Ghana is now the number one gold producer in Africa if power is stable and there is no dumsor, it means more investment will come into country” he stressed.
The only way to maintain such position in Africa, Mr. Musadaidzwa said is for government is to guarantee stable power supply and a competitive tariff to mining companies.
The Ghana Mining and Energy Summit (GMES) is a biennial Conference and Exhibition organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines with endorsement from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Energy, the Minerals Commission and the Energy Commission. GMES has grown exponentially since the maiden event in 2013 and attracts industry participants from around the globe.
GMES2019, the fourth Summit in the series is themed: Harnessing Mining and Energy potential to accelerate National development.