London, United Kingdom, 8 October 2021 – Nord Gold plc ("Nordgold" or the "Company"), the internationally diversified gold producer, announces that employees at its Bissa mine have organised a reforestation campaign in the villages of Bissa and Imiougou, located in the province of Sabcé, Burkina Faso.
Members of the Sabcé Local Workers Association who work at Bissa took the initiative to plant trees in two closest villages to the mine in the Sabcé region and invited local residents to participate in the activity. This initiative was welcomed and supported by Nordgold, as well as local authorities, as part of the Company’s efforts to protect the environment. A collection of administrative, traditional, and religious authorities took part in the campaign alongside representatives of the mine. All parties agreed to make the event an annual occurrence.
“I am grateful to the local workers of the Bissa mine for this excellent initiative, and to the population of Sabcé for gathering together to celebrate this occasion and for their help. I also congratulate the mine’s management on their engagement and support. It is important that we work together for a better environment.” Rigobert NASSAthe Mayor of Sabcé
“We do not intend to stop at tree planting. There is so much more we can do to benefit neighboring communities, and we are constantly working on new projects. The environment, education and healthcare remain our principal focus.” Aly SAWADOGOcommunity relation worker at Nordgold’s Bissa and the spokesperson for the Sabcé Local Workers Association organising committee
All of Nordgold’s West African mines engage in large scale reforestation campaigns annually, providing financial assistance to the local communities and organising tree planting activities. Reforestation is one of Nordgold’s environmental programmes, which are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to help combat climate change in the countries where it operates. Further to this, Nordgold supports the development of artificial forests, as a means of working with local communities to deliver tangible change.
“At Nordgold, the preservation of the environment through reforestation campaigns is an important part of our commitment to social responsibility. I am glad to see that our employees share our company values and organise similar activities on their own initiative. We will definitely continue to support such endeavors.” Nana Addo OWUSU ANSAHGeneral Manager at Nordgold Bissa mine
Nordgold
Marisha Leon
Corporate Communications Manager
marisha.leon@nordgold.com
Powerscourt
Peter Ogden
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7250 1446
Launched in January 2013, Bissa was the first mine to be built by Nordgold in Africa. It is located approximately 85 km north of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It is a multiple open-pit operation using a simple process flowsheet with robust Carbon-in-Leach (“CIL”) design well suited to the treatment of free milling gold.
In September 2016, Nordgold expanded its Bissa mine with the launch of a heap leach facility at the nearby Bouly deposit. Environmental considerations have been key since the beginning of Bissa and Bouly’s design and construction with the objective to make environmental stewardship at both mines exemplary.
Nordgold is an internationally diversified one million ounce gold producer with about 7,800 people operating a portfolio of nine mines (in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Russia and Kazakhstan) and a number of development and exploration projects in West Africa, Eurasia and the Americas. Since its foundation in 2007, Nordgold has established a global reputation as a leading developer of tier one gold mining assets with a proven commitment to community engagement, sustainability, efficiency and operating in an environmentally responsible manner. Since 2013, Nordgold has successfully constructed three gold mines, including two in Burkina Faso (Bouly and Bissa) and most recently, the Gross mine in Russia.
