Eduapriem Mines upgrades skills of community-based contractors

Anglogold Ashanti, Eduapriem Mines, has deplored the inability of local contractors in its areas of operations to bid and win contracts tendered by the mines to help in retaining funds in the local economy.

Officials of the mines said they were not happy with the situation where other contractors won the bids and, so decided to upgrade the  skills of the local contractors to compete favourably and follow the correct process.

They said contractors in the local economies were currently not competing favourably with contractors from other parts of the country.

 The move to train the contractors, according to the mine’s Senior Community Development Officer, Mr Enoch Osei, forms part of its social investment strategy to ensure local content in its areas of operations.

He added that the training would enable more than 25 local contractors to be competitive and self-sufficient and obtain the requisite skills in business management.

The participants were taken through basic rudiments of business management, as well as business expansion process, taxation, financial management and good record keeping.

 Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Municipal Director of the National Board for Small Scale Industries in Tarkwa, Mr Francis Baghr, explained that the workshop would help boost the capacity of the beneficiaries.

He reminded them that it was important to register with the NBSSI and be abreast of technological advancement instead of working in isolation.

The contractors, who were appreciative of the training, called on Eduapriem Mines to organise such training quarterly to enable them to be abreast of modern trends in business and entrepreneurial skills.

The workshop, which is the third in the series, forms part of the Local Economic Development Initiatives of the mine, and was aimed at developing the capacities of contractors in host communities.