AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, has presented a check of GHc250,000 to the Obuasi Municipal Assembly to support their effort in renovating the northern assets of the Mine earmarked for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Obuasi campus.
The presentation was done at the office of the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Elijah Adansi Bonnah, by Brett Thompson, the Head of Operations, who represented the Managing Director of the Obuasi Mine, Eric Asubonteng.
Speaking before the presentation, Brett Thompson reiterated the constant support of the Mine for the Obuasi community, stating that the Mine wants all communities in its catchment areas to benefit from the Mine.
The Obuasi Municipal Assembly Boss, Hon. Elijah Adansi Bonnah, who received the donation on behalf of the Assembly, thanked the Mine for the kind gesture. He revealed that, after looking through Corporate Social Responsibilities of the Mine, he can vividly say that AngloGold Ashanti today is better than Ashanti Goldfields Company (its former name) of the past. He further on explained how the Obuasi’s university campus came about.
“After their (AGA) Asset Relinquishment Plan, some apartments were handed over to the Municipal. AngloGold Ashanti, KNUST and the Assembly has been meeting since to establish a university campus in Obuasi”, he said.
AngloGold Ashanti Ghana’s Obuasi Mine, has consolidated its operational Surface footprint to the south section. As a result, office complexes and residential properties at the north mine have become redundant to the Obuasi mining operations. The mine therefore submitted a proposal to the Government to use the northern facilities to establish a university campus in an attempt to diversify the Obuasi economy. Government approved the proposal and formed a committee comprising AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG), the traditional leaders, the Municipal Assembly, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to plan and execute the establishment of the University Campus.
The committee met and rolled out key timelines that would help in the establishment of the university. The cost of renovating the facilities was determined to be Four Hundred Thousand and Seven Ghana Cedis (GHC 400,007.00) per the Bill of Quantities.
The Municipal Assembly only had a One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis available for the project. In response to a request from the Municipal Assembly, the Obuasi Mine as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) decided to counter fund the project by donating Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH 250,000.00) to complement the Municipal Assembly’s contribution.
Both AGA and government believe that the establishment of the University College would boost the local economy and ensure that the economy continues to thrive beyond the life of the mine.