London, United Kingdom, 03 November 2020 — Nord Gold SE ("Nordgold" or the "Company"), the internationally diversified gold producer, has financially and operationally supported the development of a community forest in the province of Oubritenga in Burkina Faso. The project will have a range of both social and environmental benefits, including, helping to improve household living standards in five villages; in addition to saving rare plant species and promoting the natural regeneration of local species.
The community had previously expressed a need for a nutritious forest during the validation process of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment study, on the development of the Samtenga deposit. The deposit will become the source of gold ore for the Bissa’s processing plant. In order to create the forest, with fruit trees being planted over a 3 hectares area, the Bissa mine has provided the Provincial Directorate for the Environment of Oubritenga with the necessary equipment, totaling 25,000,000 CFA (US$ 50,000), which includes, among other necessities, rolls of fencing, wheelbarrows, pickaxes and gardening tools.
“I am deeply grateful, and filled with joy, because everything we have proposed and asked for has been listened to and delivered.” Salfo Ouédraogo Director of the Environment of the province of Oubritenga at the reception ceremony
For the implementation of this community project, land agreement protocols were signed with the partners in the presence of the grassroots communities (municipal councilors, Village Development Councils and producers organisations), village resource persons and local administration, to enable efficient and sustainable management of the site. The project management committee will be set up and trained by Nordgold’s environmental technical services team, to further support the preservation, safeguarding and, one day, the marketing of the products that the forest will produce.
Nordgold is an internationally diversified one million ounce gold producer with over 8,000 people operating a portfolio of ten 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.
Nordgold
Olga Ulyeva
Head of Corporate Communications
olga.ulyeva@nordgold.com
Powerscourt
Peter Ogden
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7250 1446
