Published on October 22, 2010 by Cocorioko News   ·   No Comments

African Minerals last year said it has defined magnetite Iron Ore reserves of 10.5 billion tons with 29 percent ore content and 8 million tons of hematite Iron Ore deposits.
Most Sierra Leoneans are looking up to the company to provide them with great employment opportunity in both phase one and two of the mining project. According to the company’s Social and Community Manager Colin Forbes, African Minerals cannot employ everybody, nor can the company train everybody. “We hope to give maximum training to those that we can employ,” he said, and added that if for example the company employed someone to operate a machine, that individual will gain a classroom training for about a year, serve as an apprentice for about six months, before finally the machine is handed over to him for operation as a national staff. “The qualified person will stand a chance to train others,” Forbes told his audience while addressing the people of Pepel Community on Thursday 13th October, 2010 to mark the fifth Disclosure Meeting of the Environmental, Social Health, Impact Assessment report.

The Social and Community Manager informed his audience that during the construction phase of the project, the company will employ in excess ten thousand men and women, and the operation phase requires three thousand workers to serve for sixty or more years.  “We respected people that are educated. We shall be grateful to employ those that are qualify and possess good characters like honesty, sincerity and trustworthy,” he said.

African Minerals have been carrying on its exploration for four years and discovered a world record deposit of 10.5 billion tons hematite and magnetite ore in Sierra Leone. The company is about to move to its mining phase of hematite that will soon be exported out of Sierra Leone to raise more funds for the construction of a standard rail, port, power plant and processing equipments.

African Minerals’ Communication Director, Anthony Junior Navo said the company is in Sierra Leone to help in the development process, and added that the youths should be engaged in learning skills so that they become self reliant.

He warned young people to refrain from violence as it will hamper the ongoing development process. The Youth Ambassador, admonished all and sundry to embrace African Minerals in Sierra Leone to transform the country into a paradise.

The Acting Director of Information and Communication in the Sierra Leone Environmental Protection Agency, Edward Bendu commended AML for a job well done. He noted that Sierra Leoneans should commend the government for establishing SLEPA, which is tasked with the responsibility of making sure that mining companies protect their environment.
“We should support African Minerals for their giant step in managing the environment. I hope the company will make good use of the comments made by the community people,” Mr. Bendu told the people.

However, there is an ongoing significant training opportunities empowering Sierra Leoneans whom will be well prepared to take up duties from foreign experts. The two years training will give national staff the opportunity to learn and compete in the market with other professionals.
The construction of the World’s third largest Port in Sierra Leone by African Minerals will serve as a significant infrastructure development underpinning additional broad spectrum business opportunities. This will be a catalyst project for the country and West Africa as export opportunities will be of a major boost. The current transition into the construction phase will create further substantial training and employment opportunities.

The production phase will create long term professional and skilled training opportunities empowering the Sierra Leone people, developing the skills of Sierra Leoneans, preferential selection of Sierra Leoneans for integration into the Company’s workforce, and acknowledging high achievers with Fast Track promotional opportunities. AML has a demonstrated track record of conducting ongoing “on the job” training for employees in many professional and trade disciplines.

To date, AML has delivered training to many Sierra Leoneans creating employment opportunities in the following disciplines: AML is already one of the largest employers in Sierra Leone and has demonstrated it is committed to its policy of employing Sierra Leoneans wherever possible.
AML values its employees and recognizes that the training and retention of skilled staff is imperative for the growth of the Company. The Company will continue to provide Sierra Leone employees with ongoing technical skills training and personal development.
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ML hopes to provide direct revenue from royalties to Government, direct revenue from company tax payments, direct revenue from employee income tax, direct employment for about ten thousand of Sierra Leoneans.

African Minerals will continue to implement social development programs with specific focus on: Clean Drinking Water, New Roads and Bridges, New Schools, Education Support- as over eight hundred scholarships have been provided in eleven chiefdoms, Pro-Active Medical Programs. There will be more substantial community development projects in health, education and infrastructure.

The Company’s policy is to conform to internationally recognize environmental laws and regulations and to promote the respect of the environment in all of its business activities in compliance to the Equator Principles. Consultants and Contractors are being employed to support the Company’s efforts to protect and preserve the environment.

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