Obuasi Fair Attracts AGA Workers

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Esi Sekyiama making a presentation
Esi Sekyiama making a presentation

BY JACK ADOM

For the second time in six months, AngloGold Ashanti, the Ghana Stock Exchange-listed gold miner has organised jobs and investment fair for its current and past employees.

Esi Sekyiama making a presentation
Esi Sekyiama making a presentation

Undermined within and without by host of complex challenges, resulting in declining production, the company recently announced that over 3,000 of its workers have been ?retrenched, many more are set to leave by the end of the year, as management is putting the mine on care and maintenance, contrary to media misconception that it is closing it down.

The fair, which was attended by over 700 workers was aimed at educating and creating awareness on job and investment opportunities in Obuasi and other parts of the country. In an earlier forum, Ama Sekyiarmah of Technoserve, ?made a comprehensive presentation on agricultural and industrial opportunities in the country and advised the workers to seek advice before they venture into any business. She advised them to avail themselves with ?advise from state and private professionals already in small scale business?, adding that ?there are so many of them in the country who are ready to assist?.

The fair attracted more than 20 investment houses and recruiting agencies of which the key ones were Jobseekers Ghana, Liberty Financial advisers, Frontline Capital Advisers, IGS Financial Services, Databank, Legacy, FTS Financial Advisers, Gold Coast securities, First National Bank, Golden Pride, Petrosol, Oasis, Soroma Capital, Beige Capital and Cornerstone Finance.

The 800-member Obuasi Miners Wives Association took advantage of the fair to display products of small scale ventures they?ve set up; which symbolically means that the AGA workers, with their experience and technical ?know how? can also enter into small scale business without much hassle.

The Deputy Senior Manager, Human Resources and Administration, Husein? Abugri advised the workers to critically think about what they want to do with their retrenchment package and also advised them to seek professional assistance ?before they invest. He said, ?the fair was being organised by the company because of its values to ensure that stakeholders and the people in the communities and the Ghanaian society as a whole, benefit from the presence of AGA.

?The investment houses are here in Obuasi because of you, competing with each other with attractive rate of returns for your money, but make sure you go for the experienced and reliable ones?, Mr Abugri said.

Commenting on the fair, Edith Kufour; Executive Director of Marketing at Frontline Capital Advisers, commended AngloGold Ashanti for organising the fair for the second time, saying ?the workers seem happy and are enthusiastic to make their own investment choices, given the awareness created by the fair?.

AGA Workers at the seminar
AGA Workers at the seminar

?My observation is that the retrenchment exercise has been very successful and management and the unions should also be commended for investing their time and resources in the education of the people on the mine and in the communities?, she said.

Yolanda Teye of Liberty Capital shared the same positive remarks with the Frontline Executive. ?The workers who visited my stand asked the right questions and made positive contributions, which strengthened my belief that the workers are fully aware of the investment options at their disposal.?

?None of them spoke against the retrenchment offer given to them and are happy they?ve got money from AGA management to invest and set up their own businesses, and I think that if they are guided well, they will create more small scale? companies, to generate jobs for themselves and their families which will make them a major source of employment in the communities.?

Solomon Adjei and Ben Abu, have worked on the mine for more than 20 years and were also happy with the fair. In their candid opinion ?this is the real time for us to venture into our own businesses and grow them with our retrenchment packages. We thank AngloGold Ashanti for the opportunity and being a caring company?.

Judging from the euphoria among the organisers of the fair, the exhibitors and the participants in general, the consensus was that by creating the platform for the employees, investment houses and recruitment agencies for the second time, AngloGold Ashanti is really walking its talk, and as the locomotive of the Obuasi economy, the hope of the people is that the mine will be fixed on time to produce more gold and generate more profit to meet its commitments to the company?s social and business partners.

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