AngloGold Ashanti invests in malaria prevention in schools

Fiaseman Senior High has won this year’s Inter Senior High School Quiz Competition in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality to mark this Year’s World Malaria Day, under theme, “Ready to Beat Malaria”.

Tarkwa Senior High came second, while Benso Senior High took the third position. All the participating schools were rewarded with Fiaseman took home a plaque, citation, branded wall clock and educational materials.

The goal of the competition is to raise advocates to champion the cause of malaria prevention in their respective schools, while preventing the killer disease in Ghana.

AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Gold Mine in partnership with the Municipal Health Directorate, Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication for private Sector Malaria Programme and the Ghana Education Service organised the contest at the weekend.

Addressing the students Samuel Noi, the Senior Manager in charge of Processing at the Iduapriem Gold Mine, said the Company launched its Malaria Control Programme in 2017 to contribute to the global efforts at achieving the 2020 milestones of the World Health Organisation Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030.

It targets for a 40% reduction in malaria case incidence and death rates.

“A total of Twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) long lasting insecticidal Nets (LLINs) were procured and distributed to employees and 16 out of the Mine’s 19 host communities under the phase I of the program implementation, amidst community wide sensitisation programs at a total cost of GHS 238,410,” he stated.

“The Mine, with its partners, has developed a plan and key activities to be implemented in the schools this year to include in the phase II of the programme by training 58 senior house masters and mistresses of the schools to support in the programme implementation as well as monitor programme outcomes.

“The project will also distribute 4,315 quantities of student bed size insecticides treated nets to students in the three Senior High Schools.”

The Mine seeks to extend the Programme to cover the Bankyem, Akyempim and Charliekrom communities.

This year, it would commit more than GHC 170,000.00 to the programme, and embark on sensitisation programmes with a total cost of GHC 238,410.

The Municipal Health Director of Tarkwa Nsuaem, Mr Emmanuel Affelkum commended the Mine for their support in fighting malaria, especially in making the schools as beneficiaries.

He, however, urged it to help the Municipal Directorate to acquire computers to enable them to manage the data in tracking the level of progress made in the reduction of the disease in the area.

AngloGold Ashanti is the third-largest gold mining company in the world, measured by production. It has 17 gold mines in nine countries, as well as exploration programmes in both the established and new gold producing regions of the world.

It is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.