AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, has held its 20th non-denominational annual thanksgiving service to express gratitude to God for sustaining the Mine and taking them through another year successfully.
The service was attended by traditional rulers, politicians, clergy, Muslim leaders, heads of decentralised agencies, employees, and their dependents as well as business partners of the Mine.
There were worship and praise sessions in honour of God that featured gospel musicians including Pastor Joe Beecham, Team Impact, Tarkwa and the Tarkwa Crusaders Choral Group.
All the attendees dressed in white apparel sang and danced to the glory of God for his faithfulness. Prayers were said for the company and its employees.
‘Praising the Goodness of the Lord’ (Psalm 135:3, 65:11), was the theme for this year’s thanksgiving Service.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Samuel Boakye Pobee, Managing Director of Iduapriem Mine, said in 2023, the company began the year with challenges in mining, followed by the announcement o
f the proposed joint venture with Goldfields Tarkwa Mine, which made their employees a bit startled.
‘It felt like we were going to swim against the tide throughout the year. By the grace of God, last year turned out to be one of the best years in the history of this Mine.’
‘Indeed, God is good, and I think I will be right to say if it has not been for the LORD on our side where will Iduapriem Mine be? I am therefore truly grateful to God, our employees, and all stakeholders for the immeasurable support’ he said.
Mr Pobee announced that the Mine achieved a relatively strong production and financial performance in 2023 and that they were among the best performers across all key metrics within the AGA group.
‘Our success was not only on the production front but also on the social front, where we won 12 company and six individual awards. These accolades are a testament to our relentless pursuit of excellence in everything we do. They speak volumes of the outstanding contributions of not only our employees, b
ut also stakeholders, and together we celebrate their collective success.
‘We share this great achievement with you and extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the employees who were recognized for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence, Indeed, the Lord has been good to us,’ he stated.
Mr Pobee used the opportunity to thank the government, traditional authorities, host communities, ministries, departments and agencies, contractors, employees, and all other stakeholders for their unwavering support and cooperation, which continued to propel the Mine to shine and excel in all aspects.
He said as part of addressing the unemployment situation in the Mine’s host communities and improving the income of beneficiary households, the company was currently running a four-year Girls’ Apprenticeship Programme in dressmaking for females selected across the host communities in Teberebie.
‘The Mine has also constructed a vocational centre with a business unit fully furnished with industrial equipm
ent for commercial garment production in Teberebie as part of this initiative’ the managing director said.
Furthermore, Iduapriem Mine has established a fully equipped soap and detergent production factory in New Tokunaso. The beneficiaries of this project have been trained and assisted by the Mine to obtain the required certification and approvals from the Food and Drugs Authority to produce in commercial quantities, he added.
Mr Pobee encouraged the public to purchase some of their products available on the market, under the brand name; Adwenpaye.
Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister, who was the special guest, revealed that ‘The journey of AngloGold Ashanti may have been marked by challenges, but here we are standing strong in unity and in prosperity. This affirms our collective acknowledgement of the goodness that has accompanied our endeavours.’
He requested that in the same way that AngloGold had been able to develop an economic plan for the people of Obuasi, so should AngloGold
Ashanti Iduapriem Mine also develop a prosperity plan for the people of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.
Apostle Dr Daniel Okyere Walker, Area Head, Church of Pentecost, Tarkwa, in a sermon, advised Ghanaians to learn to acknowledge what the assemblies, security agencies, managers, employees, and leaders among others do for them.
‘I have observed that people appreciate only those they support. I am not happy about this, and it is my prayer we change from this attitude. We need to appreciate one another, let us have a spirit of gratitude because that is the only key we can use to open God’s storehouse,’ he stated.
‘At any point in time, we will have leaders to run the affairs of this country. If these people are doing well let us praise them, and if they perform badly let us be bold and speak out. We need to work together and transform our country because God has blessed us with all the resources, and we cannot continue to live in poverty.’
Source: Ghana News Agency