'Star' Pupils

Students at a school built by Golden Star

The Ghana Living Standards Survey continues to show that there is a strong, positive relationship between the education level of the population and the reduction of the poverty burden.

Golden Star helps to provide access for children to participate and stay in school, primarily through the provision of schools, accommodation, scholarships and transport.

We are committed to contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) within our areas of influence and we support the achievement of SDG number 4 for quality education by helping children and families to be able to access and stay in school.

Read on to see more about these contributions and the direct impact they have had on the lives of children and families in our host communities…

Schools and Classrooms

Since 2006 Golden Star and the Golden Star Development Foundation have built numerous schools and supported the construction of others:

• Adamanso - 3 unit classroom block and toilet facilities
• Akymepim A – 3 unit classroom block and extension of electricity to the school
• Akymepim B – 6 unit classroom block, library, and extension of electricity to the school
• Ateiku - 3 classroom blocks and teachers accommodation (New Togbekrom resettlement)
• Daboase – student dormitories
• Juabeng – 6 unit classroom block, toilet facilities, and a school field
• Kwame Niampa – classroom block
• Mamponso – roofing of a three unit classroom block
• Mbease Nsuta – day care centre
• New Togbekrom – kindergarten and community library (New Togbekrom resettlement)
• Ningo and Subriso – 6 unit primary school with teachers quarters and toilet facilities
• Nsadweso – renovation of community kindergarten
• Old Subri – classroom block and extension of electricity to the school
• Prestea – 8 unit classroom block

Here are some stories from local teachers, students, parents and others involved with the schools:

Abraham Gyapaah, Headmaster of Akyempim School B
“At Akyempim School students results were poor, classrooms were crowded, and brilliant students did not have the financial support to advance to secondary school. Golden Star has had a great impact by building a new school block, providing scholarships, and supporting mock exams. We can now boast winning 15 trophies last year, having enough classrooms, and high student motivation. I really appreciate and thank the company. God bless Golden Star.” 

James Nkrumah, Assembly Man from Akyempim
“Education is the key to success and I was saddened when students had to use lanterns to study at night, or were late for school after fetching water. Golden Star has created a new world for us by providing access to electricity, a good source of drinking water, solar lamps for power outages, classrooms and bussing. I am grateful to Golden Star for all that they have done for the community.”

Diasa Franklin, Teacher at Kwame Niampa 
“Parents used to send their children away for school but with the classrooms built by Golden Star teachers are willing to stay. I am happy to see the positive impact on the children, and encourage them to use the opportunity given to them by Golden Star to learn for a better future.” 

Francis Donkor, student
“I am achieving good results because I can now learn in a classroom where I am not disturbed by animals and rain. I thank Golden Star for this.”

Isaac Frimpong, parent
“We used to send our children to other towns because the school building was poor and teachers would not stay. We appreciate Golden Star’s assistance in our children’s education.”

Daniel Dadzie, resident of the Ningo community
“Our community had problems with school enrollment. The school was in a bad state - teachers would not stay and children were discouraged. With the help of Golden Star a new classroom block was built and the education of the children has been improved tremendously. I say a big thank you to Golden Star for the great transformation and impact they have created on our lives!”

Bernard Cudjoe, Headmaster at Old Subiri
“I am excited to say that Golden Star has made a great contribution towards education as we now have a junior school classroom block and children don’t have to travel away for school. Brilliant students are supported with scholarships and parents do not have to pay levies for sporting activities. Our school can now boast an increase in enrollment and the scholarships have motivated children to learn. Long live Golden Star.” 

Ricky J. K. Addor, Assistant Headmaster Academics, Prestea Secondary School
“Our school had a great challenge before Golden Star’s assistance with poor accessibility and enrollment, and classrooms over-crowded. We are grateful to Golden Star for the support and can now boast of an increase of students transferring to the tertiary sector. Ayekoo to Golden Star and we appreciate their continued good works.” 

Eric Tawiah Esson, student, Prestea Secondary School
“I am grateful to Golden Star for the classroom blocks they have built. Teaching and learning has become so effective. Education is necessary to gain knowledge and skills, to have a good impact on life and on society for generations to come.”

Improving School Accessibility

In a number of our host communities, in the past children had to walk for over two hours to access the nearest school. To improve access to education for these children, Golden Star provides school bus services for 7 communities, enabling some 293 school children to access and remain enrolled in school. 

James Kyei, scholarship recipient
“Education is the key to success and I thank Golden Star for supporting my education. I experienced hard times before the Golden Star scholarship and school bussing. Sometimes I had to sleep in another village to go for exams. God bless Golden Star and I urge all students to learn hard and come out with flying colors.”

Robert Gyamfi, Community Relations and Social Responsibility Manager for Golden Star
“I see education to be the single most liberating equal opportunity intervention that is not sensitive to race, tribe or gender. Education enhances the potential of all to improve on their lives and broaden their opportunities. Golden Star supports education in many ways: one of our nearest communities is several kilometers away from a school, and without the provision of school bussing children would be unable to access good education to progress to secondary institutions.”

Enhancing Education Quality

In support of enhanced educational delivery, Golden Star has provided school supplies to schools and students, paid allowances to teachers, including financial bursaries to early childhood educators in our most remote catchment communities, and supported numerous sports, carnival and inter-school programs. 

Children enjoying a library provided by the
Golden Star Development Foundation

Abigail Madzigbe, Winner of the 2016 Inter – Mines First Aid and Safety Essay Competition
“I have grown to learn that with education I can go far in life and be prosperous - I have taken up the challenge to be successful. Golden Star has been supportive to us, the children in the community. The essay writing competition equipped me to learn, and I came 1st in the competition, which has given me the motivation to learn more and pursue my aims in life.”

Vincent Otoo, scholarship recipient and 2016 Best BECE Student in the District
“I am so thankful to Golden Star for the impact they have had on my education, which has changed my life in many ways. I am a role model to my community and I am proud to have received awards including one from the President of the Republic of Ghana. To everyone out there, we can overcome the challenges of life only through education.”

Ebenezer Otoo Wettey, parent of Vincent Otoo
“I am proud of my son for being awarded Best BECE Student (2016) in the District and winning a presidential award for been Best in English Language in the Western Region (2016). To Golden Star I say a very big thank you for giving my son the opportunity to prove the talent that he has.”

Comfort Bansah, Mother of Vincent Otoo
“I pray for Golden Star to move from grace to grace, continue to be in production and a safe mine because they help us in so many ways. God richly bless Golden Star!”
    

With Golden Star's support, Abigail Madzigbe and Vincent Otoo have
excelled in their education

Scholarships

Within our host communities, many families report the high cost of education as prohibiting enrolment and retention of their children in school. Ghanaian census surveys highlight the particular plight of girl children in these rural areas, with girl child enrolment and graduation from school traditionally lower than boy children.

Since 2008 we have provided scholarships for over 892 children. Scholarship recipients must meet the criteria of being brilliant and needy.  Therefore with the help of Ghana Education Services and the school faculties, we are identifying children with great capacity for learning, who through circumstances out of their control, would often not be able to participate in school without the financial support of Golden Star or the Golden Star Development Foundation.

Yaa Joyce, parent
“It is hard to see your child removed from school when you know he/she is brilliant. By the grace of God my child is still in school thanks to the scholarship from Golden Star. I thank Golden Star for the support and encourage children to learn because education is important to go places in the world.” 

Sakinatu Beyeden, parent
“I always made it clear to my son that he would start work after attending junior high as there was no money for school. Ayekoo to Golden Star for the positive impact they have created in the life of my son who is now in senior high school under a Golden Star scholarship.”

Nuhu Shuaib Abeka, scholarship recipient
“I used to have to sit outside in the moonlight to study, and I would worry about how my parents would get money to pay my fees for secondary school. I am happy in secondary school and excited to make better grades.” 

Gifty Appiah, scholarship recipient
“We had awful times when part of our school collapsed, and it was hard to hear my parents say that I would have to go work after junior high school. A very big thank you to Golden Star for our new classroom and the opportunity to continue my education under their scholarship. I am motivated to learn and want to use this platform to motivate my colleagues to achieve their goals.” 

Ramsey Mireku, scholarship recipient
“I had no hope of attending secondary school as my parents couldn’t afford the school fees, but thanks to Golden Star for a scholarship I can now encourage others not to stay at home too - in our world now it’s all about education.” 

Joseph Kwasi Mantey, scholarship recipient
“Before Golden Star’s intervention I would have had to go to the next town to continue my education. Thank you to Golden Star as they have provided a junior high school, scholarship scheme, refreshments to motivate us during sport and so much more.” 

Just a few of the Golden Star scholarship recipients
who are continuing to higher levels of education

Educational Subsidies

Golden Star also supports the education of almost 3,000 children of our employees, through educational subsidies. These subsidies are designed to reduce the financial burden on parents of placing children in quality education, to ensure the greatest opportunity for quality education and potential for income generation into the future.

Festus Adebrah, Golden Star Mine Maintenance Supervisor and PTA Vice Chairman, Golden Star School
“Education is the best gift you can give to anyone because it cannot be taken away and it helps one to become successful. I am pleased about Golden Star supporting my children’s education, and I am excited about the company’s contribution to education including free basic school for our team’s’ dependents at the Golden Star school, as well as community scholarships." 

Children learning to read with books
provided by Golden Star

What Has Been The Impact?

Ask, and most parents will tell you that nothing is of greater importance to them than their children or their ability to give their children the greatest advantage that they can.

Lydia Ackom Boateng, parent
“I want to thank Golden Star for having the community in mind with the much needed support they are giving towards education.”

James Amoah, parent, Old Subiri
“I am proud of Golden Star for supporting my son’s education when things were not easy for me. I am excited to say a big thank you to the company for the support and I urge all children to go to school because with education you get a better future.”

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

Celebrating Women

8 March 2017 was International Women’s Day, a time to pause and reflect on the role of women in society and in our workplace. 

At Golden Star we recognize the important role that women play in the workplace and we value the contribution that people from diverse backgrounds can make to productivity and competitiveness.

Within Golden Star, 12% of our employees are women, which is comparable with the gold mining sector internationally, and within our Golden Star Oil Palm Plantation project 25% of the farmers and workers are women!

 

Golden Star women at the Bogoso/Prestea mine

The most recent Ghanaian Census showed that girls continue to have lower access to education than boys. Despite this, we are proud that in our workplace women hold roles throughout the hierarchy and in a variety of disciplines - women work in trades, mining, management, and supervision and support services.

Promoting Diversity

We embrace diversity in cultures, backgrounds, gender and thinking. To enhance opportunities for women and to promote diversity, we:

• Advertise jobs in accordance with local employment policies agreed with host communities
• Report on diversity in our annual Corporate Responsibility Report
• Provide family accommodation or subsidies for senior staff so that families can stay together despite the remote nature of our operations
• Provide medical services and National Health Insurance Scheme coverage to all employees and eligible dependents for equal access to good health
• Participate in forums and research on the empowerment of women in the mining sector

Gifty Bilson, Senior Training Officer

Workplace Inclusion

To ensure that we act in an inclusive way and all our workforce can be productive contributors we:

• Provide cross cultural awareness training for senior staff
• Support the Golden Star Women’s Club and its’ programs
• Provide access to training and development on the basis of merit
• Ensure that women have access to appropriate personal protective equipment, private changing areas, and can breast feed as necessary
• Conduct harassment and discrimination training within the workforce
• Require leadership to ascribe to our Code of Conduct and Ethics and provide a confidential reporting line to report on breaches
• Ensure that maternity and paternity leave law is upheld
• Ensure that mine clinics provide privacy for men and women and are equipped for the treatment of children

Empowering Women

We recognize that as members of society we can also contribute to empowerment by providing opportunities for female children to have improved access to education and development. We:

• Celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child
• Undertake education programs with Senior Secondary schools in our host communities
• Provide educational subsidies to our employees’ eligible dependents to ensure that boy and girl children have equal access to school and education
• Ensure that community education scholarships benefit girl and boy children
• Provide school bus services to specific host communities enhancing access to education

Through the Golden Star Skills Training and Employability Program, we have also supported 250 female youth to obtain skills and equipment to start their own small business. Over half of the participants of GSSTEP have been women.  In addition, through the Golden Star Development Foundation we have supported the construction and outfitting of schools for our host communities.

Children at a school built by the Golden Star Development Foundation

Golden Star Ladies Club

The Golden Star Ladies Club was formed in 2010 with the objectives to:

• Empower members to be advocates in their communities
• Create a forum for sharing experiences and matters relating to the welfare of members
• Unite female employees on issues affecting the interest of members
• Encourage, promote and enhance the productivity of members
• Educate members about their rights and responsibilities with respect to matters related to sexual harassment

The Golden Star Ladies Club hosts a number of important programs for women in our catchments, including a Breast Cancer Awareness Program which has brought free breast cancer screening to over 10,400 women and girls in the last three years and potentially saved as many as 269 lives.

Golden Star women at the Wassa mine

Golden Star Women: Our Stories

In celebration of the contribution of women to Golden Star’s success, below is a feature on just a few of our female team members.

Ernestina Gyawu, Ventilation Engineer and Underground Shift Boss (5 years with GSR)

“My experience on the mine has been positive – the attitudes and communication among the team have helped me to accomplish my tasks successfully. I work to mentor, motivate and inspire women to believe that they should not limit themselves but be confident to take up challenging tasks. I advocate that women should step out into roles that traditionally used to be only for men”.


Lovelis Esi Acquah, Auto Electrician (8 years with GSR)

“Growing up in a mine host community, I had the dream of working in the mines one day. This gave me the energy to overcome the challenges I faced due to my limited early education. Today, when I look at back, I am happy with what I have achieved.  I work among men of various ages and I approve my worth as a colleague among them. I am now a mentor for the girls in my community and I encourage them to work hard and to look beyond our traditional roles.  I am confident and happy to be working in the industry and encourage more women to join us”. 


Alberta Stevens and Abigail Akua Akyere (both 7 years with GSR)

Alberta and Abigail sharpen the drill bits for underground drill rigs. 

“We are happy to work in the mine because of our unique roles and we our proud of the quality of the work we do. Our male colleagues respect us and the community like to hear us talk about general mine activities. This goes on to encourage more ladies to look for higher ranking roles in the mines”. 



Rebecca Appiah, Community Relations Officer (7 years with GSR)

“I am happy to work in mining because I am a native of one of the catchment communities and I have become a mentor for the girls in these communities.
I love to inspire women by saying that, “Women should be focused and work harder and also know that we can do what the men can do””. 


Gladys Asare, Dispatch Officer

Gladys orders and receive items into the warehouse system. 

“I feel excited about my role and function in the mine. I have been challenged to meet some critical tasks during my three years with Golden Star. I use these as proof that women can be successful in the mining industry”. 




Belinda Cudjoe, Dispatch Officer

Belinda tracks machine performance.

“I find it interesting to work at the mine, because of the variety of tasks and knowledge that I am constantly exposed to. I have developed a passion for machines and engineering - it is great and interesting to work in the mining industry. I encourage all women to grow their skills and try to rise higher, because there are more opportunities out there for women now.” 

Esther Arhinful, Machine Inspector (12 years with GSR)

“I feel excited about my duties in the mine. My motivation stems from the opportunity to work on machines, which is unique for women in my town. Most often, my male colleagues respect me as a leader and a strong woman. I advocate for girls to go school, develop a passion for hard work and become responsible in life. Today I am happy - because of my schooling and hard work I am the backbone of the family”. 

Celestina Atsiagla, Environmental Officer (7 years with GSR)


“I am happy to be working to protect the environment and I feel respected by men at work and within my society. I have become a mentor to girls in the communities and I inspire women to seek opportunities that now exist for them.” 



Gifty Gandhi, Underground Shift Boss (5 years with GSR) (pictured on the left)

“On my normal shift, I supervise a crew of 14 men to help me achieve my shift goals. Working with my underground crew is fun for me and I have earned the respect of people on and outside the mine due to my role and responsibilities.
I urge all women out there to be strong and try as much as possible to rise up and hit the targets they have set for themselves.”

Aisha Feimoakib Gani, Mining Engineer (6 years with GSR)

“I aim at producing ore in a safe manner and in compliance to environmental regulations. This has been my goal since I joined GSR six years ago. I like the industry; because it has helped me to build good team working skills and good interpersonal relationships. 
I always say that that there is no segregation in our mine so ladies should rise up and compete with the men because we can equally do what men do. I am happy to be here and have had so many experiences that I am proud of.” 


Rosebella Agyei, Group Business Coordinator (3 years with GSR)

Rosebella champions strategies to improve business processes.

“Working in a male dominated area is fun because it has taught me valuable lessons such as how to approach stressful situations with ease. My motivation has been hard work and learning, whilst maintaining a strong sense of myself and my values in every situation. I motivate women to learn, believe in themselves and approach life with confidence”.





Augustina Yenzu, Stakeholder Engagement Officer (8 years with GSR)

“My interest includes inspiring girls to go to school and achieve greater heights as well as serving as a mentor for young girls to look up to. I really like working in the mine, because I spend time with people who are determined and disciplined to achieve their goals. Based on this, I am able to inspire women to be determined, disciplined and believe in themselves that they can do it with God on their side.”

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

Working in Partnership with Ghana

We value respect and honesty in relationships, team work and accountability. We work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery by supporting the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Golden Star supports the social and economic development of Ghana through Government payments including royalties and ground rent, direct and indirect employment generation, flow on through supply and services contracts, corporate social responsibility initiatives such as the Golden Star Development Foundation and Golden Star Oil Palm Plantation (each funded with US$1 per ounce of gold produced), and other direct mine funded initiatives.

To ensure that the contributions of the extractive sector reach the intended beneficiaries for sustainable benefits, the industry has embraced the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). 

Contributing to Ghana’s Growth

Golden Star’s annual Corporate Responsibility Reports disclose the payments we make to the Government of Ghana including royalties, fees, permit, licenses, SSNIT, value added tax, pay as you earn taxes, import duties, withholding tax and the stabilization levy. 

Augustina Yenzu, a member of the Golden Star community affairs team,
reads our Corporate Responsibility Report

In 2016 Golden Star paid over US$36 million to the Government of Ghana. For the life of our operations to date, Golden Star has paid in excess of US$324 million in Government payments.

In Ghana, the payment of royalties to the Government is distributed in a legislated way:

• 80% - Government Consolidated Fund 
• 10% - Mineral Development Fund (intended for mining community projects and to support mining sector institutions)
• The Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) receives the remainder, split amongst the following groups:
o 1% - Administrator of Stool Lands 
o 4.95% - District Assemblies where the gold was produced
o 2.25% - Stools 
o 1.8% - Traditional Councils 

Of Golden Star’s royalty payments, approximately US$1.18 million is expected to be disbursed to the OASL, Districts, Stools and Traditional Councils. Since 2011 the total amount expected to disburse from Golden Star royalty payments to these groups is in excess of US$12 million: a significant contribution to support the social and economic development of our host communities.

Leading The Way

Ghana led the way amongst African nations by being the first country to sign on to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2009.  In 2016, Ghana won the Global Extractive Industry Transparency Award for strict implementation of recommendations leading to far-reaching policy, regulatory, and institutional reforms in its mining, oil and gas sectors.

The Ghana EITI (GHEITI) reports that the sector contributed to 64% of Ghana’s total export value in 2014 – a whopping US$4.3 billion; 10% of gross domestic product (GDP); and 17.5% of Government revenue!

What’s more, the latest EITI reporting shows that companies, such as Golden Star, are meeting local content and local procurement mandates.  

At Golden Star, over half of our workforce hails from our host communities, 66% are from our host region and 99% are Ghanaian.

Supporting the EITI in our Host Communities

Mr. Ben Ayree of the Ministry of Lands and
Natural Resources addresses the forum.

In February, Golden Star participated in a multi-stakeholder disclosure workshop hosted by the West Africa Governance and Economic Sustainability in Extractive Areas (WAGES) project team, which is jointly implemented by the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and the Centre d’étude et de Coopération Internationale (CECI).

The workshop brought together members of the District Assemblies, Traditional leaders, elected leaders, extractive companies, artisanal and small scale mining groups, NGOs, CSOs and other stakeholders. The program was supported by representatives of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Finance and Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as members of the GHEITI team.

This is what participants had to say about the EITI Workshop:

Robert Gyamfi, Golden Star Resources, Community Relations & Social Responsibility Manager 

“The workshop was very revealing for me and my community participants.  It was recognized that Golden Star complies with making its royalty payments but it was suggested that the utilization of these payments by the Prestea Huni Valley District Assembly needs to be reviewed.  I am convinced that our current corporate responsibility programs together with the proposed utilization guidelines for mineral royalties will have a further positive impact on our business and in the communities in which we operate”.


Akwasi Owusu-Bi, Local Governance Specialist, WAGES

 “Working in partnership with communities, local government, mining companies, and other stakeholders, the WAGES project aims to improve local governance and maximize the socio-economic benefits from extractive resource investment in West Africa. The forum was timely as information shared engendered a conscientious effort to encourage community policing of mineral revenue disbursement.  Part of the strategy was also to develop a new type of thinking and awareness within the civil society that breeds responsible social engagements and participation of issues that results in positive developmental activities. That is the way to go.”

Godwin Amoakohene, Entrepreneurship Officer/Business Advisor, Business Advisory Centre

 “I found the forum to be very participatory and informative. Together with the community members we now have insight into the accrual system used for mineral royalty funds and how these revenues are utilised. I also now know that, besides the minerals funds, ground rent has been added to the stream of District Revenue sources.  As an Enterprise Developer, I was particularly keen to see that more of the mineral funds be used to promote Local Economic Development activities and create alternative employment opportunities in the communities. This will help alleviate pressure on the mining companies to provide employment and social amenities.”

The Future for EITI

The next phase of the roll out of the EITI requires Governments and companies to commence disclosure on beneficial ownership. The program will be a land-mark milestone in increasing transparency for reducing conflict of interest in the sector.

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

Your Health Is Your Wealth

Our Commitment

Golden Star values and is committed to safety and employee well-being.
We believe that job-related injuries and illnesses are unacceptable.

In support of our commitment, we continue to improve our health and safety systems and practices, and grow our skills and capacity in support of our changing business.

So let’s take a look at a few of our key initiatives from the last quarter of 2016…

New Underground Mines

With the development and commencement of our two new underground mines, we have completed a number of projects for ‘operational readiness’, including:

• updating risk registers – lists of key hazards and controls to minimize risk
• job hazard analysis – teams identify hazards and controls for a task
• safe work procedures –documented instructions on how to do safety critical work
• mine development - actual work to install new tunnels and support the rock, provide electricity, water and air to make it safe for workers to access the ore bodies
• occupational hygiene studies – monitoring of environment and hazards in the mines

Installing ground support for safe mine access using
manual and remote operated drill rig

   

Frank Osei Bonsu, Production Shift Boss, wearing the occupational
hygiene monitoring equipment including noise dosimeter and personal dust pump

Building Enthusiasm

Our Wassa team recently held a safety day with an inter-department first aid competition and competition for a new safety mascot.

In a hard-fought competition, including high-pressure tie-breaker, the Underground team just clinched the title from the second placed Construction Projects team. 

The Underground mine team celebrate their win

Solomon Smith from the Heavy Equipment Maintenance team won the competition for naming of the new safety mascot. ‘Ahwɛyie’ is the ‘cautious rabbit’, who considers his actions before he acts, and works safely even when no-one is watching.
  

Solomon Smith is congratulated by
Wassa General Manager, Gary Chapman

Solomon said:”I was very much elated and surprised when I won the competition but I was even happier when I first heard that my suggested name for the safety mascot was chosen."  

Ensuring Employee Wellbeing

Ensuring that our employees are healthy is one of Golden Star’s top priorities.  We have implemented a number of health programs inside our mines for our team as well as outside for the local communities.  Read more about our community health projects in the November blog post.

Malaria is one of the most prominent diseases in Ghana. Our malaria program includes internal residual spraying (IRS) in all company buildings and accommodation, garden management and brushing to reduce breeding sites, rapid and laboratory testing for malaria, and targeted treatment. It has led to a huge reduction in malaria cases amongst the workforce.

Following successful preventative health screening campaigns, our medical service providers now provide integrated preventative health screening for our employees for a range of different problems. Workers and site-based families can request blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index and other tests at any time, to enable improved health management.

Mine employees participate in health screening campaigns

Practice Makes Perfect

Each and every one of us wants to know that if something did go wrong in a mine that a trained and capable management team, and emergency response team, would be there to help.

At Golden Star we are no different, and like all modern miners, we conduct mock emergencies and drills to make sure all our systems and equipment are reliable, and our people know what to do.

Prestea's emergency response team preparing for a drill

In November each of our mines conducted two major mock drills. Reflecting our strong commitment to safety, operations were stopped to make the drills as realistic as possible. Our personnel, our medical services providers, and even our teams in Accra and Toronto were involved in the practice to ensure we continue to improve!


Stephen Aninoo, Mine Shaft Captain, Prestea Underground Mine

 “I am the Shaft Captain for Prestea Underground mine, where I have been working for over 35 years. In the course of my work, incidents and emergencies do occur and although I used to manage these as before, I have gained new skills through the recent emergency practice exercises.  During the drills, I had a continuous flow of information from the onset of the incident through our emergency management process. It aided me to communicate smoothly during the drill and I participated in the review session after the drills.  The drills offered multiple benefits to the safety of the mine, and looking forward, I am confident that together with my team I can better manage emergencies.” 

Recognition for Our Commitment

Golden Star continues to strengthen our safety and health systems and management. We record all injuries sustained by employees and contractors so we can learn from them in the future.

As required by law we also report on the number of injuries that prevent people from being able to do their normal work, per every million hours worked at our operations.  This is known as the lost time injury frequency rate or LTIFR. We compare our LTIFR to other companies, and as at the end of 2016 our LTIFR was 0.36 – a very good result compared to many industry peers.

In 2016 Golden Star was recognized by the Minerals Commission at their annual awards ceremony in the following categories:
• Wassa placed second at the National Inter-Mines Safety and First Aid Competition,
• Wassa placed second position in Best Improved Mine award, and
• Sidi Adam was recognised with the first ever individual Excellence Award, for his work in supporting the Wassa team to win the three successive Safety and First Aid Competitions.

At the prestigious 2016 Ghana Mining Industry Awards, Golden Star was recognized with our Wassa operation placing as First Runner Up in the Best Performer in Occupational Health and Safety category.

Sidi accepts the award from the Paramount Chief

Sidi said: “I was overwhelmed with so much ecstasy when the long years of hard work finally paid off.  I must say this would not have been possible without the support from the management of Golden Star's Wassa mine and the tireless effort of the Wassa mine team and community teams.  I sincerely believe this is just the beginning and we will continue to fly the Golden Star flag high through this competition.” 

What Has Been the Impact?

More importantly than any competition, award or metric, we remain committed to continual improvement in safety and health, to ensure everyone goes home safely every day. In 2016 there were no fatal incidents at our operations, and we are proud of our teams for their dedication to continual improvement; however every injury is unacceptable, and so our journey must continue.

Nicolas Teiku, Chairman of Local Companies in Mining Services (LOCOMS), Prestea South Mbease Nsuta project haulage contractor

“Safety is number one when it comes to working with Golden Star and the benefits transcend the operators (drivers) of our trucks to include the truck owners and our cost of operation as haulers. Anytime I go to negotiate for trucks for haulage, I always warn the truck owners that if their operators do not obey safety rules and regulations, they should count their contract with LOCOMS terminated outright because our client Golden Star doesn’t joke with safety compliance.” 


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