Kenyasi, Oct. 20, GNA - A revolving fund to assist women in communities affected by the Ahafo mine of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), at Kenyasi, to establish and expand their economic activities, was officially launched on Tuesday at Kenyasi number one, in Asutifi District of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The Women Revolving Fund was established in 2008, by the Women Consultative Committee (WCC), an 18-member committee made up of queen mothers, elected representatives of all community women and women groups/associations, within the Ahafo mine of NGGL. The WCC is a forum through which the women discuss and share ideas and issues of concern in the mining communities and forms part of the initial activity in executing the NGGL gender plan. So far, the fund has disbursed a total amount of GHC15,190 ranging from GHC 100 to GHC1,000 to 47 women in the area.

Monies in the fund are mobilized through the contributions of WCC members at their quarterly meetings, fundraising activities and submissions of proposals to international and national institutions. Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs. Elizabeth Opoku-Darko, coordinator of the gender mainstreaming programme of the NGGL noted that, the mining sector had been highly gender-biased, with income accruing from royalties, compensation, employment and supply opportunities largely extended to men.

Mrs. Opoku-Darko said women make up 51 percent of the population in Ahafo, hence their needs and aspirations could not be overlooked. She explained that in order to ensure women's participation in the opportunities and issues related to the presence of the Ahafo mine, the WCC was formed in 2007.

Mrs. Opoku-Darko said since then, members of the committee had and continued to benefit from a number of capacity building programmes all of which were geared towards making their voices count in all aspects of community development.

The gender coordinator stated that the WCC had so far been very successful in carrying out its core mandate of discussing issues in the areas of land access, compensation and economic empowerment among others.

Mr Dan Michaelsen, General Manager of Environment and Social Responsibility of NGGL, who presented a cheque of GHC10,000 to support the fund, advised beneficiaries and managers of the fund to use the monies judiciously to sustain the fund.

Mr Dan Michaelsen gave the assurance that Newmont would continue supporting initiatives and programmes that would seek to improve the lives of communities within its catchments area. He explained that the gender mainstreaming plan of NGGL was formulated to change the face of the mining industry in Ghana, hence the establishment of the WCC.

He noted that the WCC had been of immense help, not only to the members, but also to their families, "because we appreciate the fact that when the woman is well empowered economically, the entire home and community can confidently lean on her for survival". Launching the fund, Mr Eric Addae, District Chief Executive said the government alone could not bear the task of empowering women and developing the country.

He said the support of the private sector and ingenuity of civil society groups, such as the WCC was very essential, to speed up the developmental process.

Mr Addae expressed appreciation to the immense contributions of NGGL towards the overall development of the district, with emphasis on the number of development projects that had sprung up with funding from the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF). "I am also aware of the hundreds of scholarships awarded to our children, to further their education in various secondary and tertiary institutions across the country", he added. Mr Addae expressed the hope that management would be alert in ensuring that, the fund was managed properly; and that beneficiaries pay back, and on time too, so that others would also benefit, to give the name 'revolving fund" its true meaning. Karen Cordes, Chief mining engineer at the Ahafo mine noted that, the women had come together to embark on an initiative that would lead to their collective economic well-being. "As a woman, I am glad to associate myself with such a noble cause", she stated and urged the WCC to seek further opportunities that would enable them to assert their roles in the communities. Mrs. Cordes advised the women to also invest in the education of their children to enable them to acquire responsible positions. Nana Ataa Adwoa Agyeiwaa, queen mother of Hwidiem is the chairperson of the nine-member management committee of the fund.