Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd. has completed the first year of its Community Skills and Apprenticeship Programme, graduating 71 young people from the Amansie South and Amansie West districts. The trainees, split into two cohorts, received training in welding, electrical work, HME mechanics, health and safety, assay laboratory assistance, blast assistance, drilling offsider operations and heavy equipment operation.
Women have been among the beneficiaries, operating heavy‑duty trucks, welding and taking on technical roles. The Ghana Technical and Vocational Institute accredited the trainers’ competency certificates, while the Minerals Commission provided operator certification for the participants.
About 40 of Cohort One graduates have secured full‑time employment with Asanko or its business partners; others have saved enough to return to school or pursue different opportunities. Cohort Two, comprising 75 participants, will undergo similar training with the aim of equipping them for future jobs within the company or elsewhere.
During the graduation and induction ceremony at Manso Nkwanta, Asanko’s General Manager Justice Fenteng urged beneficiaries to embrace the initiative and work toward improving themselves and their communities. He said the program was designed to equip local youth with employable skills, especially in the mining industry, and to increase the number of local employees.
District Coordinating Director Okrah Thomas Kwame praised the initiative and encouraged beneficiaries to make an impact in their communities. Sompahene Nana Oppong Mensah Abrampah, representing the Paramount Chief of the Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area, commended Asanko for its development programs and called on residents to view the company as a key partner.
A graduate from Cohort One, who had struggled to find work after university, said the training had given her a greater opportunity than she had imagined and helped reduce unemployment in her home community of Essuowin. She added that the experience would transform her life and that of her family.
The programme is run by Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd. in partnership with Drill Masters Africa, Rabotec Ghana Limited, Intertek Minerals, BLOJ Company Limited, Rocksure International, Solar Nitro and A. Kanin Limited.
As the company continues to expand the apprenticeship programme, it aims to increase the number of beneficiaries in future editions, fostering local skill development and employment in the mining sector.
