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A stakeholder engagement expert, Mr. Abdel-Razak Yakubu, has been confirmed the new Executive Secretary of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation.
His appointment which takes effect immediately follows the official announcement by the firm on Monday, February 13, 2023.
According to the firm, the former Regional Manager for Sustainable Development Projects/Head of Community Relations, Gold Fields Ghana, Damang Gold Mine will oversee the activities of the Foundation.
Mr. Abdel-Razak Yakubu’s core mandate of overseeing the foundation’s activities is “ensuring delivery of socio-economic development programmes and shared value projects for our host communities in line with the mandate and vision of the Foundation.”
The mandate includes ensuring the activities and projects of the Foundation get the required publicity. These include the construction of the 33Km Tarkwa to Damang road and the construction of the T&A park in Tarkwa- A project that is 100% funded by Gold Fields Ghana Foundation.
Before his appointment, he served as the community Affairs Manager at Gold Fields Ghana, Damang Gold Mine. He was also the Regional Manager sustainable development from the period of 2019 to 2020.
Between 2014 to 2019, he also served as Community Affairs Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Gold Fields Ghana, Abosso Gold Mine.
Meanwhile, from 2006-2012, he was pointed the Community Affairs and Public Relations Officer, Gold Fields Ghana Limited (GFGL), Tarkwa Gold Mine.
As a Stakeholder Engagement expert, Abdel-Razak had over 15 years’ experience in community relations in the mining industry and has extensive knowledge in stakeholders’ identification, planning and management.
The old students of PRESEC-Legon (ODADE3) is also a Corporate Social Responsibility practitioner with a flair for public speaking.
In ensuring the smooth running of Gold Fields Ghana under the current administration, it also announced the appointment of Catherine Kuupol Kuutor as Metallurgical Manager of the Tarkwa and Damang mines.
Her appointment made her become the first female Metallurgical Manager with oversight of both the Tarkwa and Damang mines.
In 2017, Madam Catherine Kuupol Kuutor served as Metallurgical Manager for the Damang mine.
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation
The Foundation has a formalised governance structure and funding mechanism. It is the first foundation to be set up by a mining company in Ghana.
The Foundation focuses on five key areas, namely: education, health, water and sanitation, agriculture and infrastructure.
In 2002, Gold Fields Ghana established the Community Development Fund to help finance development initiatives, projects and programmes in the host communities of the Tarkwa and Damang mines.
In 2004, the fund was officially registered as the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation.
The Foundation has a seven-member Board of Trustees made up of the General Managers of the Tarkwa and Damang mines, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, a representative of the Gold Fields Board, members of Parliament for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley constituencies, and the Executive Vice President and Head of Gold Fields West Africa, who is also the chair of the Foundation’s Board.
The Board meets every quarter to review projects and programmes, as well as approve the Foundation’s budget and expenditure. The financial accounts of the Foundation are audited annually by an independent financial auditor.
Funding for the Foundation is primarily through contributions from the Tarkwa and Damang mines, based on their production profitability. For every ounce of gold produced by the mines, one US dollar is donated to the Foundation, in addition to 1.5% of the mines’ profits before tax (US$1/oz plus 1.5% of pre-tax profit). This is an agreed funding formula, which ensures that the developmental needs of the host communities are directly tied to those of the mines.
The Foundation has invested over US$90.8m in development projects and programmes since 2004.
