P.V. Obeng lauds Newmont

Chairman of the National Development Commission (NDPC), Paul Victor Obeng, has commended Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) for its adherence to safety measures to protect lives and properties at the company’s work place and within its operational communities.

According to him, safety precautions at work places are very important because they are prerequisites to the sustainability of any corporate entity.

Mr. Obeng was speaking at the 2011 Africa Region Safety Summit of Newmont at Kenyasi in the Asutifi District of the Brong Ahafo region.

The two-day summit brought together 100 participants comprising managers and senior staff members to deliberate on how to ensure safety at their sites and the communities they operate.

Mr. Obeng further called on leaders of companies to motivate and inspire workers to achieve their goals.
“Communication is the best tool to use to motivate and inspire workers of any company in the world because it helps in the exchange of ideas.

…Leaders must therefore communicate with their workers effectively as this will motivate and drag them along to contribute proficiently to the growth of the company,” he noted.

The NDPC chairman was also of the view that leadership is a responsibility, calling on all leaders to work cordially with their members in order to achieve their goals.

The participants at the summit were taken through topics such as: ‘Leadership,’ ‘Relationship of leadership styles to safety,’ ‘The impact of a fatality and risk tolerance.’

The rest of the topics included ‘Living with a permanent disability injury,’ ‘Safety task force findings/rewards and recognition,’ ‘Safety recognitions,’ ‘Driver behaviour’ and ‘road safety for children.’

Communication Manager of Newmont Ahafo Mine, Agbeko Kwame Azumah, revealed that the summit was to inculcate safety behaviour among workers of Newmont at both the workplace and within the communities.
“The summit was aimed at inculcating safety behaviours among our workers so that they would always take safety precautions when they are working.

About 20 pupils from Kenyasi Roman Catholic Primary School were also taken through road safety lessons with help from Amend Ghana, an NGO,” he disclosed.

Andriaan Van Kersen, Regional Senior Vice-President Operations, Newmont Ghana, later on interacted with journalists.

Mr. Kersen disclosed that from January this year, over 180 people have died in the country through road accidents.

“This and many other factors motivated Newmont to draw the attention of its workers especially to drive with extreme caution when using the roads in the various communities to save lives and properties,” he stated.