Mr Edmund Oduro Agyei, Community Relations Manager of AGA, who stated this, said the company was committed to fostering a symbiotic relationship between human capital development and economic advancement.
He was speaking at the matriculation of the 5th cohort of AngloGold community youth apprenticeship programme at Obuasi.

The apprenticeship programme is an integral component of the company’s annual skills training initiative under its 10-year socio-economic development plan, designed to empower the youth in its host communities to achieve self-reliance and contribute meaningfully to national development.

A total of 105 out of the 2,300 applicants, were recruited for the training programme this year.

Mr Agyei said the youth apprenticeship programme, since its inception in 2019, had successfully trained over 500 youth in various technical skills, with some of them being employed by the company, while others had embarked on self-employment ventures.
He revealed that AngloGold fully sponsored the training costs for 100 apprentices annually, encompassing tuition, personal protective equipment and a monthly stipend of $150 for each apprentice.

Mr Agyei further announced the introduction of a new initiative titled, ‘Women in Industry Skills Empowerment’ (WISE) to address existing gaps in the training programme.
He explained that the WISE initiative reflected the company’s unwavering commitment to dismantling barriers that had historically curtailed women’s participation in the mining sector and, more broadly, the extractive industry.
He elaborated that the WISE initiative would offer hands-on technical training in disciplines such as mobile crane rigging, fabrication, auto mechanics, industrial mechanics, and auto electrical work.

Mr Agyei noted that each apprentice enrolled in the WISE programme would acquire real-world experience and receive nationally recognized certification, thus paving the way for new opportunities and career advancement.
He said the original youth apprenticeship programme this time, would concentrate on advanced areas necessitating fundamental technical skills, including shaft technician, shaft rigger, winder mechanical technician, winder electrical technician, winder instrumentation, and control technician.

Additional fields of focus would encompass machinist, motor rewinding technician, and condition monitoring technician.
In total, 42 women would embark on the WISE programme as beginners.

He encouraged them to approach the opportunity with seriousness, passion, and determination, so they may be recognized as change makers within their respective communities.

Several of the beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to AngloGold and conveyed their hopes that the company would persist in its developmental agenda within the Obuasi enclave.