26 September 2007
Accra — Newmont Ghana Gold Limited has announced that its parent company, Newmont Mining Corporation, has been chosen to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World (DJSI World).
DJSI World, Dow Jones's premier sustainability index, tracks performance of 2,500 leading companies, worldwide. The index independently evaluates companies' long- term economic, environmental, and social performance, publicly identifying the top 10 percent of performers in areas of sustainability. "Our vision to become the gold company of choice for our employees, shareholders and host communities requires that we continually improve our performance," said Mr. Richard O'Brien, Newmont's President and CEO. "Being the only gold company recognized on DJSI World indicates we are making progress and moving in the right direction."
Newmont Mining Corporation's vision of becoming the gold company of choice for its host communities is also the primary driver of Newmont Ghana's continual efforts to contribute to the sustainable development of the communities in its Ahafo and Akyem mining areas.
Specifically for the Ahafo operation, the vision shared between Newmont Ghana, its local communities and the Ghanaian government is that people of the Asutifi and Tano North Districts will have an opportunity for an enhanced socio-economic well-being, their health is improved, education and training opportunities increase and accelerate, and that all of these improvements are sustainable, independent of and beyond the life of the mining activity.
In partnership with its Ahafo host communities and other stakeholders, Newmont Ghana is executing sustainable programs that will extend beyond the mine's life cycle and strengthen the communities' resiliency.
Major partnership projects for Newmont include the Ahafo Agribusiness Growth Initiative (to improve Ahafo farmers productivity, access to markets and income, implemented with the NGO, African Connections); the SME Linkages Program with the International Financial Corporation to enhance the capacity of approximately 60 local businesses and two key financial institutions over three years and the 'Adopt-a-Cluster' program with Ghana Centre for Educational Development, Evaluation and Management, to enhance the capacity of Ahafo schools. Newmont says it is committed to demonstrating leadership in safely, stewardship of the environment and social responsibility and according to Mr. O'Brien, "Hard work and commitment by Newmont employees has allowed us to be ranked with some of the most respected companies in the world This distinction would not be possible without the solid and consistent performance of our operations."
Selection of companies to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index-World is based on a systematic assessment identifying the top sustainability leaders in 58 different industry groups. The methodology evaluates companies based on a variety of criteria, including transparency, corporate governance, risk and crisis management, environmental management and performance, community relations and development, energy consumption and climate change, biodiversity, human resources, stakeholder relations, and safety.
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