The Chief Corporate Communications Officer of Jospong Group of Companies, Sophia Kudjordji, who led the team to present the items, said:

We are all witnesses to the unfortunate incident that happened a month ago at the Appiatse. To this effect, the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, urged us to contact you to know what exactly will be needed for the victims.”

"Today we are here in the name of the Jospong Group, including Zoomlion and other subsidiaries, to bring you these items based on the request you made and we have also added a few other things,” she said.

Ms Kudjordji added that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the group had been around the country supporting with disinfection, and with the disaster, it deemed it fit to sympathise with the people of Appiatse.

Improving lives

The Western Regional Manager of Zoomlion, Abdulai Abdullah, indicated that the mission of JGC was to “improve the people’s lives”.

He indicated that the items were an addition to initial communal containers it presented to the community to help take care of the waste situation in the community. “Our workers are around to support as far as the cleaning of the community is concerned,” he added.

Appreciation

The Divisional Chief of Bepoh, Nana Atta Kojo Beremebi II, who received the items on behalf of the victims of Appiatse, thanked the JGC for the kind gesture and assured the group that the items would be distributed accordingly.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Prestea Huni Valley, Dr Isaac Dasomani, who accompanied the chief, expressed the community's profound gratitude to the JGC.

"In fact, Jospong Group of Companies has demonstrated leadership by donating such invaluable items to us,” he stated.

Dr Dasomani said one of the challenges the community was still facing was a vehicle to convey children to school.

According to him, out of a population of 964 displaced persons, about 40 per cent were schoolchildren.

Dr Dasmani, therefore, appealed to organisations to support the community with mini buses to convey the children to school.

The JGC team also prayed for the victims of the Appiatse explosion in a session led by the group’s Chaplain.

Other members of the JGC?delegation were Communications and Corporate Affairs Director, Zoomlion, Emma Adwoa Appiaa Osei-Duah; Zoomlion Foundation, Thomas N. Korley; National Project Officer, Mr Jephthah Tetteh, and Idris Adam of the Communications and Corporate Affairs Department.

Background

Appiatse, a mining community between Bogoso and Bawdie in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality in the Western Region, experienced a fatal explosion that ruined the entire community, leaving 13 people dead and many others severely injured.

This was when a vehicle carrying mining explosives collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the explosion on January 20, this year.