GHANA MINE
Gold Fields staff cut for contractor in Ghana
A contractor will take charge of the ageing Tarkwa operations from early 2018
Accra — Gold Fields’s unit in Ghana says it will dismiss 1,500 of its staff as it is hiring a contractor to operate its biggest mine in the West African nation. A contractor would take charge of the Tarkwa operations from early 2018 as the deposit’s remaining lifespan was too short to replace ageing mine equipment, Gold Fields Ghana vice-president David Johnson said on Tuesday. Tarkwa produced about 550,000 oz of gold a year and had about five to six years left for its current design, he said. "When it’s contracted, the mining contractor already has their fleet so they will handle their fleet and maintain it," said Johnson. "We acquired our current fleet in 2004." In 2016, Gold Fields announced a $1.4bn reinvestment plan for its Damang gold mine in Ghana that extended the operation to 2024. Mine exploration Ghana is the continent’s biggest gold producer after SA and accounted for a third of Gold Fields’ revenue in 2016. "Exploration and processing will continue at Tarkwa," Johnson s...
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