Youth in Amansie communities benefit from Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd apprenticeship programme

Youth from communities in the Amansie South and Amansie West districts are benefiting from a Community Skills and Apprenticeship Programme spearheaded by Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd.

The beneficiaries, categorised under the first and second cohorts, have been engaged in training in areas including welding, electrical work, HME mechanics, health and safety, assay laboratory assistance, blast assistance, drilling offsider operations and heavy equipment operation.

Among the beneficiaries are women operating heavy-duty trucks, welding and taking on technical roles.

A total of 71 beneficiaries graduated after completing one year of training across the technical and operational fields.

About 40 beneficiaries from Cohort One have gained full-time employment with Asanko and its business partners, while others have saved enough to return to school, with some moving on to pursue other opportunities.

The hands-on training was assessed by the Ghana Technical and Vocational Institute, which accredited the trainers' competency certificates. The company also facilitated Minerals Commission operator certification for the trainees.

A total of 75 participants inducted into Cohort Two will undergo similar training, with the overall aim of equipping them to take up future job opportunities either within the company or elsewhere.

Speaking during the graduation and induction ceremony at Manso Nkwanta, the General Manager of Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd, Justice Fenteng, urged beneficiaries from both cohorts to embrace the initiative and work towards improving themselves and their communities.

He explained that the programme was designed to equip young people in host communities with employable skills, particularly in the mining industry.

“This is a contribution to the community, so we can train our youth to be employable especially in our industry. Because we would like to have a lot of local employees, but if they don’t have the skills then it becomes difficult for us to pick them and we will have to fall on people in the region. And so having this training program which is not just sponsored by Asanko but also our business partners to give people opportunity to train in both technical and operational fields,” he said.

The Coordinating Director for the Amansie West District, Okrah Thomas Kwame, lauded the initiative and urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the programme to make an impact in their respective communities.

The Sompahene, Nana Oppong Mensah Abrampah, who represented the Paramount Chief of the Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area, commended Asanko for the various programmes it continues to implement to promote development in the community.

He called on residents to regard the company as a key development partner and help maintain a sound environment for its operations to facilitate the development of host communities.

He also urged Asanko to increase the number of beneficiaries in future editions of the programme.

One of the graduates from Cohort One, who was unemployed after completing university, said the programme had presented her with a greater opportunity than she had ever imagined.

She said the programme had helped reduce unemployment in her community, Essuowin, as she had been employed following the training. She added that the opportunity would help transform her life and that of her family.

The programme is being implemented by Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd and its business partners, including Drill Masters Africa, Rabotec Ghana Limited, Intertek Minerals, BLOJ Company Limited, Rocksure International, Solar Nitro and A. Kanin Limited.