Heath Goldfields Limited is set to invest $20 million over the next five years in its host communities in the Western Region, the company’s Managing Director, Mr Patrick Appiah Mensah, has disclosed.
This, he said, was to demonstrate that local firms can lead Ghana’s mining sector.
He explained that the project challenged long-standing perceptions that large-scale mining was best handled by foreign operators, arguing that“indigenous companies can manage the country’s mineral resources effectively and responsibly.”
Mr Mensah made the disclosure in an interview with journalists at the Bogoso-Prestea mine site on Friday.
Historically, he noted, Ghana’s mining sector has been dominated by foreign players, with little local leadership in the exploitation of resources—an imbalance that has often created doubt about the ability of Ghanaian firms to deliver.
Heath Goldfields, he affirmed, is determined to confront that scepticism by adhering to high operational standards and ethical practices, stressing: “We will not cut corners in our activities.”
He added“We see the doubt as a challenge. We are committed to doing things properly and ethically, and to prove to Ghanaians and the world that when a Ghanaian is entrusted with the nation’s resources, it can be managed to the benefit of all.”
As part of the company’s community engagement strategy, he told journalists, Heath Goldfields had begun public forums to engage stakeholders in its operational areas ahead of the official launch.
Outlining a five-year socio-economic development plan, Mr Mensah said the strategy targets key sectors such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and enterprise development.
He explained that the plan involved an annual allocation of $1 million to each of the company’s four catchment areas, totalling $20 million over the five-year period.
The funds, he said, would be jointly managed by community leaders and company experts to ensure transparency and that resources are channelled into priority development projects.
“This is a deliberate shift from the traditional‘one dollar per ounce’ mantra. We are committing a fixed US$1 million every year to each community to ensure sustained and measurable impact,” he emphasised.
Mr Mensah said the intervention was intended to complement government’s development efforts, particularly in improving social infrastructure and economic opportunities in mining communities, enhancing livelihoods, and setting a new benchmark for community investment in Ghana’s mining industry.
He also assured that Heath Goldfields had sustained operations at the Bogoso-Prestea mine and had equipment being deployed to refurbish and upgrade the plant, optimise operations, and increase production.
Mr Mensah recalled that management took over operations at a time when the Bogoso-Prestea mine had completely collapsed.
However, in less than a year, the team has resuscitated the operation and is now producing gold.
The company, he said, has so far invested about $150 million into its operations, with about 1,400 employees receiving salaries and bonuses every month.
Additionally, he noted that the company had developed its human resource capacity, adding that“If we didn’t have the capacity, you would not be seeing the progress today.”
“It is normal for people to doubt Ghanaians because what we are doing is new. We believe this is a bold initiative, and we are committed to doing things properly, to prove to Ghanaians and the world that we can manage our mineral resources for the benefit of the nation,”he said.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, BOGOSO
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