Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of UNESCO’s International Literacy Day, CODE, a Canada-based NGO and Asanko Gold have announced a new, six-year partnership to extend CODE’s world-class “Reading Ghana” literacy and education programme to include the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Commenting on the announcement, Asanko Gold Ghana’s Chairman, Dr. Ben Adoo, said: “We are very excited to be partnering with CODE, a recognised leader in literacy and education, on their “Reading Ghana” programme, which will strengthen literacy and education services in the Ashanti Region, where our mine is located.
As a responsible miner, Asanko Gold said it is committed to sharing the benefits from the Asanko Gold Mine with all its stakeholders. “We are implementing a series of long-term sustainable projects, called the ‘Asanko Opportunity Cycle’ which will create a positive legacy beyond the life of the mine. CODE’s ‘Reading Ghana’ forms a key component of the Asanko Opportunity Cycle and complements our other projects in the fields of healthcare, skills training and financial literacy.”
“Over the next six years, we will invest C$600,000 (equivalent to GHS 1.85 million) in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region, which will cover 32 public schools (16 primary and 16 junior high schools) and train over 150 teachers and head teachers of the Ghana Education Service. We believe this program will make a tangible difference to the children of the Ashanti region over the coming years, broadening their horizons and improving their literacy levels.”
Reading Ghana is a comprehensive literacy and readership initiative where CODE works through its locally based partner, the Ghana Book Trust, to deliver a multi-faceted programme. The initiative works to train educators to become more effective in teaching reading and writing, to resource schools and libraries with desperately needed books that aim to nurture a love of reading, to monitor and assess the results of its programming and to train trainers to build sustainability in the programme for the future.
“We are delighted to be Asanko Gold’s partner of choice for their education project. Asanko’s six-year investment in Reading Ghana reflects the company’s shared belief that supporting success in education is a long term commitment. We look forward to realising meaningful impact with their support.” stated Scott Walter, Executive Director for CODE.
Fifty years ago, UNESCO officially proclaimed September 8th International Literacy Day to actively mobilise the international community and to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities and societies.
This year’s International Literacy Day theme is “Reading the past. Writing the future.” “With a storied history of over fifty years, CODE pre-dates International Literacy Day, and we remain inspired that the next chapter of our story, with partners such as Asanko, is sure to be the most exciting yet”, reflected Mr. Walter.
