London, United Kingdom, 04 August 2021 – Nord Gold plc ("Nordgold" or the "Company"), the internationally diversified gold producer, will invest US $200,000 to construct a Modern Vocational School for the local community of Baraka, in Prefecture of Siguiri, in the Republic of Guinea, in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.
Baraka is located a short distance from Nordgold’s Lefa mine, one of the country’s largest gold producers and an important contributor to the region’s economic and social development. Once completed, the new educational facility will provide vocational training to the local community. This will, in turn, facilitate the professional development of the local youth population and improve their employment prospects. On completion of their studies, the school will help students find internships and full-time roles with local businesses and support them if they choose to be self-employed.
The team at Lefa is currently working on the development of a detailed construction plan and specifications for the facility. A number of meetings have been organised with neighbouring vocational schools and the Regional Inspectorate of Technical Education and Vocational Training, in order to determine what the school needs in order to be a success. We expect to complete a detailed action plan for the project by the end of August. A call for tenders will then be launched, with construction set to begin in September 2021. In line with our commitment to maintaining a collaborative approach, we will fully involve local communities in the consultation process via local authorities in order to ensure that our vocational programme answers the needs of local people.
“It is vital local youth have the skills and professional training required to succeed in the workplace. We also need to develop apprenticeship programmes, to provide the youngest and most disadvantaged members of our local community with the professional support and training that they need. We firmly believe that this project will benefit all stakeholders and have a positive social and economic impact on the region.” Ibrahima Kadiatou CamaraDeputy General Director, Director of Legal, Community and Government Relations of Lefa
In 2020, Nordgold launched the West Africa Training Centre in Guinea, which provides professional training, using high-end technology, to both employees of the Lefa mine and the local community. Nordgold expects the total investment, including the construction of the centre and the purchase of the equipment, to cost approximately USD 800,000.
Nordgold
Marisha Leon
Corporate Communications Manager
marisha.leon@nordgold.com
Powerscourt
Peter Ogden
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7250 1446
The Lefa gold mine is located approximately 700 kilometres northeast of Conakry, the Capital of the Republic of Guinea. The mine is owned by Société Minière de Dinguiraye S.A. («SMD»), in which Nordgold holds a controlling interest of 85% — with the remaining 15% held by the Guinean government.
The mining and processing production chain at Lefa is highly automated and includes state-of-the art systems such as the WENCO Mining System andthe LAS Fuel Management system, which ensures live fuel consumption control, along with the TAC 1000 solutions control system. The mine supports more than 1,300 direct jobs.
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.
