In January, the Devonshire Initiative published a case study on Kinross’ ‘Community Consultative Committee’ (CCC) in Chirano to share valuable experiences about the benefits of strong community consultations.
The Devonshire Initiative is a multi-stakeholder forum focused on improving development outcomes in the mining context and providing support and resources to drive cross-sector collaboration. The case study was prepared with support from the High Commission of Canada to Ghana and Global Affairs Canada.
The case study focused on the advancements the CCC has made to increase engagement with the over 30,000 local stakeholders surrounding the mine to provide an effective mechanism for consultation and collaborative decision making.
The CCC, established in 2004, brings together 43 community members, traditional leaders, government and Chirano representatives to focus on promoting sustainable development, supporting conflict resolution and facilitating communication between Chirano and the community.
The group meets quarterly at Chirano to receive an update from the General Manager on mine operations, community projects and other items of interest to the community. After each update, the CCC has an open discussion with Chirano representatives to share their thoughts on ongoing operations and any concerns they would like to address.
Since the committee began, it has helped generate a series of accomplishments around the mine, including:
- Created an annual community development plan focused on building essential infrastructure for households including connecting communities to the electrical grid and improving access to clean water for 90% of households;
- Completed 130 projects with an investment of US$13 million from Chirano;
- Organized a series of workshops for local businesses to understand the Company’s supply chain and procurement processes in an effort to increase local employment;
- Contributed US$1 per ounce of gold produced to a community fund; and
- Established the Sefwiman Foundation in 2020 that will ensure funds are used for projects that will benefit the community in areas such as education, healthcare, economic empowerment, water and sanitation.
“In every human institution challenges are bound to arise, and as the Chairman of the CCC, I can proudly say that the CCC has been an arbiter in ensuring harmonious coexistence between the catchment communities and the mine. Through strong collaboration between the CCC and the mine, sustainable infrastructure projects are fairly distributed for the benefit of the catchment communities,” said Nana Kwasi Nwunu II, Chairman of the CCC.
“Additionally, the introduction of Chirano Sefwiman Scholarship has contributed immensely to ensuring that deserving students who are in need have access to tertiary education. I can confidently say that without the scholarship, some of the beneficiaries would have been deprived of the opportunity to pursue a higher education. The entire CCC body and the catchment communities are proud of Chirano mine for such an initiative.The CCC has lived up to expectations in terms of collaboration with the company especially in the resolution of community issues and conflict,” said Nana.
For more information on the CCC, view the Devonshire Initiative’s case study here.
