Gold miner Nord Gold (Nordgold) will, in the third quarter of this year, launch its new West Africa Training Centre, located near its Lefa mine, in Guinea.
Once completed, the centre will further develop the technical skills of Nordgold’s 1 300-strong workforce in the country.
The centre’s facilities will include a maintenance workshop covering 24 different types of equipment, a welding section and a mining fleet operator simulator. These facilities will enable the entire workforce to further improve their skill sets, which are unique to their individual roles.
Training will also be provided to members of the local communities.
Nordgold expects the total investment, including the construction of the centre and the purchase of the equipment, to cost approximately $800 000.
“West Africa is an important part of Nordgold’s business model, with approximately half of the company’s gold production coming from the region. It is therefore vital that the regional workforce continues to develop its skills and help take our company forward.
"The construction of the West Africa Training Centre in Guinea will help us achieve this goal. In particular, the centre represents part of our strategic employee development programme, while being fully in line with our overall operational strategy,” says Nordgold human resources director Yulia Sklar.
Nordgold's operations include the Lefa mine; the Taparko and Bissa and Bouly mines, in Burkina Faso; the Suzdal mine, in Kazakhstan; and five mines in Russia.