Gold Fields Outlines $109.5m Community Investment

The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has defended its corporate social responsibility record following recent public criticism questioning the company’s contribution to development within its host communities.

According to the Foundation, it has invested heavily in several sectors over the years and remains committed to improving the living conditions of people within mining communities, despite claims suggesting otherwise.

Speaking on the sidelines of a medical outreach programme held at Brahabobom, the Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Abdel Razak Yakubu, described recent comments in sections of the media as surprising and inconsistent with the Foundation’s longstanding development efforts.

He stated that the Foundation had spent more than US$109.5 million on projects covering education, healthcare, sports, road infrastructure and other social interventions across communities affected by mining activities.

Mr. Yakubu explained that although the Foundation regularly undertakes major development projects, it intentionally avoids excessive publicity surrounding beneficiaries and interventions because its primary focus is community impact rather than public relations campaigns.

“It has come to us as quite a surprise, the comments that recently have been in the media that Gold Fields has not been implementing any corporate social responsibility programmes,” he said.

He stressed that the Foundation does not believe in “parading” beneficiaries for publicity purposes, especially when projects involve sensitive human situations such as healthcare interventions and emergency support.

“We don’t want to invest the money that is voted for community development to be doing PR,” he noted.

Mr. Yakubu further explained that while some organisations prefer aggressive publicity strategies, Gold Fields Ghana Foundation chooses to share updates through official communication channels including its website and social media platforms without compromising the dignity of beneficiaries.

Using the Foundation’s medical outreach initiatives as an example, he said many beneficiaries often move on with their lives after receiving support, making it difficult to publicly track them years later for testimonials.

“If we do this medical outreach programme and we save two lives, it’s very difficult for you to find those two lives in five years to come and give testimony,” he stated.

The Executive Secretary noted that the impact of the Foundation’s investments can be seen in the economic and social improvements recorded in several mining communities over the years.

He pointed to infrastructure projects such as the Nana Ngo bypass road in Tarkwa, which he said has significantly reduced traffic congestion and improved transportation within the area.

Mr. Yakubu also mentioned ongoing road projects including the Budo Junction–Bogoso Junction road and the Awodriya–Awodriya Junction road as part of broader efforts aimed at improving connectivity and economic activities in the Western Region.

In the area of education, he highlighted the construction of a 360-bed girls’ dormitory at Puni Valley Senior High School as one of the Foundation’s major interventions to improve access to quality education for students within mining communities.

“We can count the projects one after the other,” he added while urging critics to engage directly with residents in beneficiary communities to better appreciate the Foundation’s contributions

He maintained that the organisation remains committed to sustainable community development and believes local residents are in the best position to assess the true impact of its interventions over the years.