Golden Star – Protecting Our People and Beyond

At Golden Star, our people are our greatest asset and our management of the current COVID-19 pandemic must, to the greatest extent possible, protect our people and our host communities from the risk of transmission of COVID-19 as a result of our operations.

As a major employer and therefore catalyst for rural economic stimulus in our host communities we share the dual burden of knowing that our continued operations are also critical to the health and wellbeing of our workforce and the thousands of people that they support both directly and indirectly.

In recognition of these responsibilities, our COVID-19 management is highly prevention-focused and proactive. As a company, we are working to provide leadership in COVID-19 management to our business partners, as well as working closely with our partners in the Ghana Health Services for the purposes of integrated management.

In this quest, as evident in our previous blog publication, Golden Star continues to ensure our activities are in line with our protocols and with government guidance and directives. We continue to support our communities and employees through:

• Education and sensitization
• Access, screening and travel restrictions
• Hygiene and enhanced sanitation implementation
• Donations from GSR Board and Executive Management Committee.
• Support for municipal medical isolation/holding units
• Medical preparedness and
• Flexibility and wellbeing

Sanitising workers bus

Golden Star has employed enhanced screening protocols at site access points and stopped all non-essential company travel. We proactively supported the lock-down and quarantine protocols, implementing these in advance of the Government.

Education programs feature factual information on COVID-19 and how to stay safe and utilize resources of our medical services providers, International SOS, the World Health Organisation and other reputable sources.

Promoting hand washing at our operations

Working together and keeping our distance at a pre-start meeting

Golden Star has deepened its partnership with local health authorities and Government Agencies by providing support and assistance that has included personal protective equipment (PPE), materials for sanitation and infection control as well as assistance with holding and isolation facilities for suspected COVID 19 patients. Also, Golden Star and its contractors have further collaborated in the donation of veronica buckets, hand sanitisers and other items to the communities. These initiatives have complemented government effort and responses in each of our host communities.

Donations for Wassa East host communities
(prior to Government direction to wear masks in public)

In Wassa East, the company has provided support for the conversion of a school facility developed by the Golden Star Development Foundation, for temporary use as an isolation facility by local health services.

At our Bogoso/Prestea operations, the company has temporarily relinquished the Prestea multi-purpose recreational park to Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality for use as an isolation facility and has provided additional support by making facility modifications for this purpose.

Community chiefs and elders at the Prestea isolation centre handing over ceremony

Prestea isolation centre ward

Other donations by the company and its teams helped furnish hospitals and clinics in the municipality with infrared thermometers, nose masks, goggles, disposable gloves, hair caps, shoe covers, coveralls, liquid soaps, alcohol-based hand rubs, and veronica buckets to assist with case management at Municipality health facilities.

Donation of items to communities and local health authorities

At the national level, Golden Star through the collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Mines donated financial support to the Ghana Ministry of Health and allied institutions as part of the mining industry’s voluntary contribution to the fight against COVID-19. This donation was for the purchase of 20 ventilators and accessories for distribution to hospitals across the country; to support the testing of 15,000 COVID-19 cases, procurement of 7,000 complete sets of PPE for frontline health workers; and to support other COVID-19 logistical requirements.

Donations ceremony by Ghana Chamber of Mines to Ghana Ministry of Health

In line with Government directives on mandatory wearing of nose masks, Golden Star has provided 2000 masks to the local communities and 3000 masks to its employees.

Let’s hear from the team about this assistance.

Rose Adjoa Mensah – Physician Assistant, Akyempim Community Clinic

Golden star has has such an impact on the clinic and the Akyempim community as a whole. During this pandemic, items such as gallons of hand sanitizers and washing soaps, disposable hand towels, veronica buckets, and others were received for the clinic. The Akyempim community also received hand sanitizers, Veronica buckets, nose masks, and handwashing soap. Also in collaboration with the community heads, sensitization has been done to create awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic to the communities.

There has also been a collaboration with the District Assembly to renovate a facility at Daboase, the district capital, as the main isolation centre for the disease if we get a suspected case.

Finally, I will urge all Ghanaians especially those in the Wassa-East District specifically Akyempim to adhere to all protocols given by the Ministry of Health in curbing this COVID-19 pandemic. God bless Golden Star and God bless our homeland Ghana.

Evelyn Asiama- Principal Nursing Officer, Critical Care-COVID-19 Holding, and Treatment Centre Prestea

With the imminent emergence of COVID-19 positive cases within the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality, Golden Star Resources approached the Management of the Prestea Government Hospital to offer the multipurpose recreational park as a holding, and treatment centre for COVID-19 cases.

The hospital management gladly accepted the offer and further requested that some structural modifications be carried out at the facility in order to make it fit for the purpose. Thankfully, GSR responded in a timely manner.

Incidentally, the completion and handing over of the modified treatment centre coincided with the registration of the 1st positive COVID-19 case in the municipality.

This intervention, amongst other things, done by the company in the fight against COVID-19 has greatly contributed to the hospital’s effort to contain and manage COVID-19 cases in the municipality.

We appreciate the active role of Golden Star in this global fight and the fight that lies ahead. Ayeeko Golden Star!!!


If you'd like to find out more about Golden Star and its approach to CSR, please visit www.gsr.com/responsibility

Other news media on Golden Star and our support in the fight against COVID-19 can be accessed from these links:

http://ghanachamberofmines.org/news-updates/chamber-supports-ministry-of-health-with-ghs-11-5-million-to-help-combat-covid-19/

https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Coronavirus-Prestea-Government-Hospital-gets-isolation-centre-from-Golden-Star-Resources-951166