AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine has sponsored 25 women in five farming communities through a 3 - week training course in Soap and Bead making as means to enhance their living in the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.
The programme which falls in line with the company�s community values benefited women from New Dokyiwaa, Kokotesua, Nhyiaso, Binsere and Abompe communities.
The programme was meant to create alternative income earning opportunities, for the people in the communities with the idea to ease their dependence on the mine. �The �anti-poverty� aspect of it was to train the women to generate independent income that would help them support their homes.
Sources close to the mine indicated that the Ghana Stock Exchange listed - gold miner, AngloGold Ashanti spent about GHC20, 000 on the programme.
At a graduation ceremony to congratulate the successful women at Wawase, a suburb of Obuasi in the Ashanti region, Mr. John Kowus Owusu, Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs of the AGA, encouraged beneficiaries to take advantage of the skills acquired to enable them face the challenges of the current economy.
According to him it was best for the women to support their husbands in catering for the home as the world was not becoming favourable for the unemployed.
He also mentioned that the mine was facing some challenges of which management was engaging key stakeholders, including the communities, and government for support.
�The mine will continue to count on your support to ensure the operation is rebuilt on sound footing for our mutual growth and development�, Mr Owusu said.
In a remark, Nana Ampofo Bekoe, the Manager for AngloGold Ashanti Social and Economic Development, explained that the programme became a reality through a comprehensive assessment on the actual needs of women in the communities. �Majority of them suggested skills which will enable them to collectively ease their dependence on the mine and work independently on their own�, he added.
Nana Ampofo stated that AngloGold Ashanti would continue to invest in the communities where it operated to improve the social and economic lives of the people.
He further advised the women to work as a team and support each other in skills for the benefit of their communities.
Madam Grace Boateng, who facilitated the training, commended AngloGold Ashanti for its gesture and also urged the women to use their skills profitably.
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