London, United Kingdom, 14 June 2017 - Nord Gold SE (“Nordgold” or the “Company”), an internationally diversified gold producer, is pleased to announce that the Company’s representatives attended the 2017 International Finance Corporation (IFC) global Sustainability Exchange in Cartagena, Colombia, one of the world’s pre-eminent conferences on sustainability. The IFC Sustainability Exchange addressed operational, environmental and social challenges and opportunities faced by infrastructure and natural resource actors in emerging markets.
Nordgold’s Oleg Bazaleev, Sustainable Development Manager and Colince Tagny, Community Relations and Resettlement Superintendent at Nordgold’s Bissa mine spoke in the “Livelihood restoration: Lessons from the trenches” session and in the “Collaboration & Co-investment in Water and Mining” meeting.
Oleg provided an insight into Nordgold’s significant resettlement experience, including a large-scale Resettlement Programme in Bouly which saw 990 resettlement houses built alongside massive investment into local infrastructure such as the construction of 16 water boreholes, 8 mosques, 1 temp¬le, 2 churches and 7 schools, as well as 4 cultural Centres, 8 sports grounds and 1 vaccination facility. This surpasses a key requirement of international resettlement standards that those resettled by the mine must be assisted to improve their livelihoods and living standards, or at least to restore them to the pre-displacement levels. In addition, over 1400 people have been re-trained, of which 160 are now fully licensed truck drivers, many of whom now work at the Bissa-Bouly site.
Colince spoke about Nordgold’s operations in Bissa-Bouly which provided new opportunities for local agriculture through its construction of a major water dam. Before Nordgold competed the Bissa-Bouly mines, the opportunities for agriculture were limited in this arid climate due to unstable access to water in particular during the dry season. The construction of a water dam as part of the mine site development provided new opportunities for the local farmers who were able to cultivate new fields close to water. The mine site also became a ready and immediate market for the new produce.
As a result of these measures, both in terms of water and the extensive resettlement plan, in line with Nordgold’s stated strategy, Bissa-Bouly is a case study in the hugely positive impact a mine can bring to a host nation.
“The Montagne d’Or project is a very exciting asset and plays an important part in Nordgold’s growth pipeline. We are pleased to have obtained a controlling stake and we will now take the lead on driving its development.” Igor Klimanov Development Projects Director of Nordgold
“Nordgold is dedicated to being a genuine partner to the communities in which it operates. We have aligned our resettlement activities with international best practice. We have a robust strategy on livelihood restoration and excellent implementation in the communities around our operations. We believe a strong code of corporate and social responsibility is central to our licence to operate and that we can only build a truly sustainable business by acting responsibly.” Oleg BazaleevSustainable Development Manager, Nordgold
Nordgold is an internationally diversified gold producer established in 2007. Nordgold has a proven track record of operational excellence and benefits from a significant international development pipeline. The Company is relentlessly focused on shareholder value, committed to running safe, efficient, profitable operations, which enable it to generate strong cashflows and in turn, continue to invest in its pipeline of new growth opportunities while generating returns for investors. In 2016, Nordgold produced 869 koz of gold.
Nordgold operates 9 mines (4 in Russia, 3 in Burkina Faso and one each in Guinea and Kazakhstan). It has one project in construction phase (Gross in Russia), several prospective projects and advanced exploration phase and a diverse portfolio of early-stage exploration projects and licences in Burkina Faso, Russia, French Guiana and Canada. Nordgold employs over 8,000 people.
Nordgold
Anastasia Shatskaya
Head of Media Relations
Tel: +7 495 644 4473
Powerscourt
Peter Ogden
Giles Read
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7250 1446
