African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX-V: AGG) (“
AGG” or
the “
Company”) is pleased to announce its
corporate social responsibility program (“
CSR”) as
it prepares for the start of construction of its flagship Kobada
Mine. As a mining company operating in Africa, AGG recognizes its
responsibility to adhere to the highest standards and is committed
to creating sustainable long-term value for all of its
stakeholders.
AGG is guided by the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (“UN SDGs”) at all stages of its
decision making and will work towards aligning our operations
towards the following goals as Kobada moves towards production:
- Goal 3: Good
health and well-being
- Goal 4: Quality
education
- Goal 5: Gender
Equality
- Goal 6: Clean
water and sanitization
- Goal 8: Decent
work and economic growth
- Goal 9:
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
- Goal 12:
Responsible consumption and production
- Goal 13: Climate
action
- Goal 15: Life on
land
The Company’s corporate social responsibility
goals and objectives are built around three pillars – environment,
social responsibility and health & safety.
Environment
Goal 13: Climate Action
AGG’s commitment to environmental stewardship
begins with its strategic partnership with DRA NEXUS and SENERGY to
build and install a highly efficient hybrid power plant that will
combine photovoltaic solar panels, thermal generators, and a
battery energy storage system.
This will enable significant pollution reduction
annually in the form of:
- Over 5 million
litres of heavy fuel oil
- Over 14 million
kg of carbon dioxide emissions
- Over 8,000 kg of
carbon monoxide emissions
- Over 720 kg of
unburned hydrocarbons
- Over 34,000 kg
of sulfur dioxide
- Nearly 62,000 kg
of nitrogen oxides
The hybrid power plant will also provide
significant annual power savings of more than 22% or c.$US5m in
comparison to a conventional thermal power system.
Goal 15: Life on Land
In an effort to minimize AGG’s environmental
impact, the Company will use a specially designed and engineered
repository – known as a tailings storage facility
(“TSF”) for the processing of waste. The design of
the HDPE lined TSF conforms to the recently published ICMM Global
Industry Standard on Tailings Management and processes will be put
in place to align to these standards through construction and
operation and ongoing external assurance once operational.
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation & Goal
12: Responsible consumption and production
Reliable and secure access to water will be
crucial to the effective operation of the Kobada Gold Project. It
is also a human right. Our aim is to deliver enough water for the
effective operation of the Kobada Gold Project, while also
preserving and improving the quality and quantity of water
available to the local community. We aim to minimize our use of
water through recycling and treatment of process water, control and
manage our impacts on water quality, and engage with stakeholders
to maintain sustainable management of water resources for the
benefit of all users. In addition, we believe that we will be able
to return clean water to the local communities for use in
agriculture projects as part of our CSR programmes.
Social
Goal 5: Gender Equality
AGG strives to offer equal opportunity to women
in its organisation. As part of its Code of Ethics, the Company
fosters a work environment in which all individuals are treated
with respect and dignity and are not discriminated upon based upon
their gender. Mining is an industry that offers equal opportunities
for men and women and the company will seek to employ the best
person for the job, as opposed to their gender.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
AGG is committed to working with local
stakeholders to share the value of responsible resource
development. As part of our environmental and social management
plan (“ESMP”), the Company is in constant
communication with local communities to align the interests of all
stakeholders. Monthly meetings are held with Community heads and
actions arising from these meetings feed into our ESMP. The Company
has made great strides already by employing local labour for the
exploration drilling and camp construction activities, as well as
where possible purchases local goods and services from the
surrounding villages. Through continuous engagement with the local
community heads, we will develop a list of key skills requirements
for future employees, and where possible select and mentor local
labour into permanent and skilled positions within the project
before looking elsewhere in Mali. Our commitment is to employ and
develop a predominantly Malian workforce as we ramp up through
construction and into operation.
Goal 9: Industry, innovation and
infrastructure
To ensure provenance and transparency of
processed gold, the Company has partnered with SAFE Ltd to create a
digital supply chain map which will enable to assess and address
all risks along the future supply chain. SAFE Ltd provide best in
class advice and solutions for companies looking for increased
oversight and transparency in their supply chains. The key areas of
supply chain provenance for finished gold is; conformance to all
International legislation; transparency and understanding of every
step along the supply chain to identify high risk areas, and use of
technology, such as Blockchain, to ensure that a secure and tamper
proof record of this supply chain exists for external assurance. By
beginning the process prior to operation, this will enable the
Company to develop a robust and risk-free supply chain of gold from
production through to finished product.
As part of the capital expansion of the Kobada
project, capital has been set aside to refurbish infrastructure
such as roads and bridges, to maintain critical transport links
between the local villages, the mine site and the capital city,
Bamako. This, along with other projects form part of the ongoing
development of our EMSP.
Health & Safety
Goal 3: Good health and well-being
The Company is committed to provide a safe
working environment for every employee and contractor and will aim
to enforce its safety principles throughout all operations. The
Company is committed to the following principles:
- Zero Harm – is possible, no matter
the situation
- No repeat accidents – accidents,
although always preventable, are opportunities to improve and
lessons will be taken from all incidents, audit findings to prevent
their recurrence
- Straightforward and consistent
procedures – safety should be understood by all employees,
contractors, and visitors, no matter their background. Our
procedures aim to keep everyone safe and apply equally to all.
As part of the project construction capital, the
Company will construct on-site medical facilities, as well as
refurbishment of local clinics as part of a dedicated CSR
programme. All employees and their families should have access to
health education and quality healthcare.
In November 2019, AGG established a dedicated
Malaria prevention and control programme which included vector
management tools such as insecticides, environmental modification
through elimination of breeding grounds, and bed nets, as well as
access to malaria medication and education. This has already
resulted in a significant reduction of malaria cases on site. This
will be expanded to the local areas as construction commences.
Goal 4: Quality Education
As part of the ongoing community engagement, a
review of all local educational facilities is being undertaken. The
Company will assist the local community and government in
infrastructure improvement, providing educational materials and,
where possible, assistance to ensure that all children of school
going age have access to education. Ongoing consultations will
ensure that a robust and achievable plan will be in place once
construction gets underway.
Skills development and training will be
implemented as part of the construction schedule to bring the
Kobada Gold Project into operation. Where possible local labour
will be employed and trained up to levels to enable them to operate
safely and effectively at various levels within the company.
External skilled personnel will be used to mentor and guide local
employees where training and development is required. As part of
the commissioning plan before production commences, training plans
will be developed and implemented to ensure that employees can
operate at the requisite level required.
About African Gold Group
AGG is a Canadian listed exploration and
development company on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: AGG) with
its focus on developing a gold platform in West Africa. Its
principal asset is the Kobada Gold Project in southern Mali. For
more information regarding AGG, please visit our website at
www.africangoldgroup.com.
For more information:
Danny Callow President and Chief Executive
Officer+(27) 76 411 3803 Danny.Callow@africangoldgroup.com
Scott EldridgeNon-Executive Chairman of the
Board(604) 722-5381Scott.Eldridge@africangoldgroup.com
Daniyal Baizak VP Corporate Development(416)
861-2267Daniyal.Baizak@africangoldgroup.com
Cautionary statements
This press release contains “forward-looking
information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities
legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not
limited to, statements regarding, the partnership with SAFE, the
Company’s CSR program and the implementation thereof. Generally,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not
expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”,
“forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or
“believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements
that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”,
“might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”.
Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
level of activity, performance or achievements of AGG to be
materially different from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking information, including but not limited to: receipt
of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive,
political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral
prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of
the mining industry. Although AGG has attempted to identify
important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in forward-looking information,
there may be other factors that cause results not to be as
anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that
such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and
future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking information. AGG does not undertake to
update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with
applicable securities laws.
NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS
REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE
POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
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