African Barrick Gold continues to support community relations progress in Tanzania

ABG operates mines located in a remote and complex area of Tanzania and over the past three years we have made, and continue to make, significant steps at and around our mine sites to improve both community relations and the security and human rights situation.

According to ABG recently press release available in their website said that they have provided extensive human rights training aligned with the Voluntary Principles to employees, security forces and police assigned to provide security to our operations and community members.

Human rights training has been provided to more than 6,000 individuals to date and nearly the same number of individuals on the detection and prevention of sexual harassment.

In conjunction with our training initiatives, there has been noteworthy progress in conflict management initiatives developed and implemented in partnership with Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an internationally respected NGO that specialises in conflict resolution. 

ABG began working with SFCG in 2011 with the goal of improving company-community relations around the North Mara mine. 

In 2012 alone, SFCG held 95 human rights training sessions with communities surrounding ABG mine sites, 60 youth conflict management sessions and 55 sessions focused on conflict management as it affects women. 

All of these initiatives aim to progress discussion, communication and understanding regarding conflict-related issues within communities. This project will continue throughout 2013.

Further to their training programmes, they have undertaken a number of initiatives that have met with considerable success across a range of areas; including Implementation of the ABG Maendeleo Fund in 2011, with an annual commitment of USD10m to fund sustainable community development around our mine sites

Village benefit agreements signed in 2012 with all seven villages around the North Mara mine aimed at resolving legacy conflict issues and fulfilling outstanding commitments on social investment and the implementation of an ABG Human Rights Policy and completion of a human rights ‘baseline’ at our North Mara site

While they continue to work on a range of initiatives to deal with the ongoing challenges they face, they believe that they have made significant progress in the last 3 years in improving the overall situation around their different mine sites.