Managing Director of Heath GoldFields, Mr Patrick Appiah Mensah, has announced a bold five-year community development plan to revamp communities within the company’s operational areas through significant investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, enterprise development, and employment opportunities.
At the official launch, Mr Mensah described the initiative as more than just a corporate gesture. He called it a strong commitment to enhancing lives in mining communities.
“Today is not merely a ceremony. Today is a statement of belief,” he declared. “I believe that mining must not only extract gold from the earth. It must also unlock opportunities for the people whose land contains that gold.”
According to him, Heath GoldFields has committed $20 million over the next five years to directly fund development projects across its catchment communities.
Mr Mensah recounted the dire condition of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine when Heath GoldFields took over.
“We inherited a collapsed mine,” he said. “A mine whose underground workings had flooded, operations shut down for more than 24 months, burdened with unpaid salaries, pensions, severance obligations, and statutory commitments.”
He added that abandoned open pits had been invaded by illegal miners, while critical infrastructure and equipment had either deteriorated or been vandalised.
The Managing Director noted that the mine’s collapse devastated surrounding communities, causing widespread unemployment and economic hardship.
“When a mine collapses in a community like ours, the pain does not stop at the mine gates. Businesses suffer, families struggle, and jobs disappear,” he stressed.
Despite the hardships, Mr Mensah said the company refused to abandon the mine. Instead, it undertook what he described as one of Ghana’s most aggressive underground dewatering campaigns in recent history.
After more than two years of shutdown, he disclosed, the company resumed mining operations and achieved its first gold pour — an achievement he called “a pouring of hope” for the local people.
Mr Mensah revealed the company now supports about 1,500 direct and indirect jobs, helping to restore livelihoods and revive local businesses.
Within just five months of active operations, Heath GoldFields had spent over GH¢150 million on local procurement to support contractors and suppliers in catchment communities. The company has also paid GH¢290 million towards inherited worker-related obligations.
Flagship projects under the new plan include:
- A nursing training college in Prestea
- A modern community centre in Bogoso
- A technical and vocational training centre in Bepo to equip youth with employable skills
- A modern market centre for Bondaye
- Partnerships with UMaT, including an underground campus in Prestea
- New classroom blocks, clinics, CHPS compounds, potable water systems, and road upgrades across several communities
- Transformation of Prestea Goldfields Basic School and Golden Star Basic School into model community schools
In addition, Mr Mensah announced scholarship packages for brilliant but needy students, youth apprenticeship programmes, and graduate training to prepare young people for careers in mining and related industries.
He assured residents that Heath GoldFields remains committed to recruiting most of its workforce from catchment communities.
“We believe that the true value of mining is not measured only in ounces of gold. It is measured in jobs created, businesses supported, families empowered, and lives transformed,” he stated.
The launch brought together traditional leaders, government officials, community members, workers, and stakeholders from across the mining communities.
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