As part of its commitment to ethical business practices and transparent stakeholder engagement, AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine (AGA) has held a high-level Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Workshop under the theme “Enhancing Compliance and Combating Corruption.” The event, which took place at the St. Thomas Cathedral Social Center in Obuasi, brought together company officials, government representatives, civil society actors, and community leaders for a day of dialogue and learning.
Speaking at the event, Samuel Boakye Pobee, Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti, emphasized that conflict of interest and corruption remain serious threats to national development, urging all stakeholders to adopt proactive measures to prevent unethical practices.
“Bribery and corruption is a challenging thing; it stampedes development. It brings retrogression in terms of progress,” he stated. “That’s why even the country has created a Special Prosecutor’s Office.
“For us as a mine, our systems are robust enough to deal with corruption issues, but we constantly need to educate the public, especially because we deal with external stakeholders who may not understand our internal standards.”
According to Mr. Pobee, there exists a mismatch in anti-corruption awareness between AngloGold Ashanti’s systems and the communities they serve. He noted that while the mine maintains high standards of compliance and integrity, many people outside the company may be unfamiliar with these systems—leading to potential misunderstandings or misconduct during contract bids, scholarship requests, or community development partnerships.
“This event is to help bridge that gap,” he added. “It is relevant to take our stakeholders through our policies and systems so they can engage with us without causing any issues.”
Call for Broader National Engagement
Adding his voice to the discussion, Hon. Anthony Mmieh, Member of Parliament for the Odotobri Constituency, lauded AngloGold Ashanti for taking the initiative to lead conversations on corruption and ethics.
“Bribery and corruption has been a big problem in our society, especially Ghana in particular. That’s why we have the Criminal Offences Act, the Criminal Code, and more recently, the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” he said.
Hon. Mmieh called for more frequent and nationwide anti-corruption engagements, not just within corporate or mining circles, but at every level of society.
“It is against the law to give a bribe. It is against the law to take a bribe,” he emphasized. “When there’s bribery, 99% of Ghanaians stand to lose. It leads to conflict of interest, and that means what ought to be done will not be done.”
He cited issues like biased contract awards and substandard project execution as consequences of corruption and warned that Ghana risks stagnation unless decisive action is taken.
During the workshop, key AGA personnel walked participants through various internal systems and ethical policies, including anti-corruption standards, transparent recruitment processes, Vendor onboarding procedures and the company’s 10-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP).