Members of the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) have welcomed the reopening of AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi Mine, saying it will not only boost the fortunes of the mining sector but also create employment for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.

The Obuasi mine was closed in 2014 due to some challenges with the concession and lack of capital.

Speaking in an interview with Class Business News’ Pious Kojo Backah, the Deputy General Secretary of GMWU, Abdul Moomen Gbana, said the development would offer them the opportunity to focus more on the core business of ensuring that their welfare is catered to.

He said: “Prior to the Care and Maintenance regime, we had a membership of not less than 4,000 coming from AngloGold Ashanti, and, so, when it had to go through that strategic option, it certainly came to us as a major blow.

“The good news is that it is bouncing back and for that matter, we are going to get some good numbers being employed in AngloGold Ashanti, and remember also that there are some auxiliary activities down the value chain of AngloGold Ashanti that also present an opportunity for us to organise ourselves as union members, and, so, for us as a union, we think it is pleasant news”.

He added: “As a union, we look forward to the opening of the mine so that, at least, the social actors can work together not only to better the lot of the shareholders that have put their monies into AngloGold Ashanti but also as an opportunity to raise revenue to support our ailing economy and also employment opportunities for our teeming young men and women in Obuasi and Ghana as a whole.”