AngloGold Ashanti Chairman, SiphoPityana has called on all stakeholders in Africa’s mining industry to help create an enabling environment for the continent’s mining industry to flourish, to assist in economic development and upliftment.
He was speaking at the annual Kwame Nkrumah Business in Africa lecture at the University of Ghana on Thursday.
“It is no secret that riches in the ground only create wealth for society when they are extracted in an appropriate manner: this requires amongst other things enabling policy, transparent and accountable governance, competitive investment capital, and the appropriate human capital,”
Mr. Pityana said. “Frank conversation about responsible mining and shared value is needed, if we are to embrace the concept that business competitiveness and social and community wellbeing are inter-dependent rather than – as some see it – conflicting imperatives.”
These are the essential ingredients that will allow industry to chart a course that will allow it to reach its potential, and to allow all stakeholders to benefit, he added.
“It falls on leaders, be they elected political officials, company management, or labour and community leaders, to understand the constant trade-offs and accommodation required to fashion profitable outcomes that can in turn lead to equitable development outcomes,” Mr. Pityana said.
“At AngloGold Ashanti this is made easier by the fact that our company values unambiguously mandate us to do so. If we are to treat each other with dignity and respect, to value diversity, to mine responsibly and to aspire to leave communities better off for our being there, then we have to stay focused on ensuring equitable outcomes both for today and for tomorrow. In this way I do believe that we can be the development catalyst that we aspire to be.”
