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At AngloGold Ashanti's Iduapriem mine in Ghana, a central focus of sustainable development activities is the 'Hand-in-Hand' programme, an alternative livelihoods initiative aimed at uplifting the economic and social fabric of communities both during operations and after they cease.

The programme was established at the beginning of 2005 through a partnership between AngloGold Ashanti, Opportunities Industrialization Center International (OICI), a US-based NGO that fosters economic self-reliance through human resource development in Africa, Poland and the Philippines. OICI has provided development assistance programmes for disadvantaged communities in Ghana for the past 35 years. Besides the initial funding of approximately $268,000 to the programme (representing about 80% of the mine's total social investment budget), AngloGold Ashanti has also provided a field office for the OICI programme manager and five supporting officers, who are running the programme, the objectives of which are to:

• build the livelihood capacity of households;
• develop human capacity in health, nutrition and education;
• augment income-generating activities for the disadvantaged; and
• boost community resilience and participation.

The initial three-year 'Hand-in-Hand' programme aims to assist as many people as possible in the eight communities, which are located in the vicinity of the mine – Adisakrom, Adieyie (Mile 8), Mile 7, Techiman, Nkwantakrom, Wangarakrom, Teberebie and Abompuniso. The youth, who comprise 25% of the 7,500-strong population, are being specifically encouraged to take part in the programme which offers alternative employment opportunities to artisanal mining, a centuries-old traditional form of employment, which is often both dangerous and illegal.

Building capacity and promoting economic activity are the two main pillars of the 'Hand-in-Hand' programme. Under capacity-building falls:

• entrepreneurial skills training;
• micro-credit management training;
• animal husbandry and livestock training;
• technical skills training in food processing and value-adding technologies;
• training in water, sanitation and personal hygiene;
• training in participatory decision-making and problem-solving; and
• teacher-training for Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs).

Almost 700 people have benefited from the capacity-building programme since the start of the programme which was launched at Adieyie in January 2005.

90 people have learnt the art of soap- and pomade-making as part of enterprise development. Over 500 have been trained in lending and credit management. $36,000 of the annual budget was placed in a revolving fund and loaned to 18 groups, comprising 317 participants, for creating new businesses or expanding existing ones.

74 people have participated in water management and environmental sanitation courses, which provide training in hygiene and pump sanitation maintenance, as well as learning how to repair hand pump machines. Subsequent to these training modules, water and sanitation (WATSAN) committees were formed in all eight of the Iduapriem communities.

In an effort to improve the academic standards in the communities' schools, 12 people have undergone ECDC teacher training, and teaching aids have been provided to nursery schools. A scholarship scheme has also been established for students in junior secondary and senior secondary schools.

The promotion of economic activity has focused largely on agricultural pursuits including pig, poultry and fish farming; vegetable and food crop production; goat and sheep rearing; and oil palm farming. Assistance was afforded to the 199 beneficiaries of the programme in the form of livestock; cassava sticks; oil palm and vegetable seedlings; spraying machines; and agro-chemicals.

Although not part of the 'Hand-in-Hand' programme, to enhance local procurement, Iduapriem mine has contracted a local company to transport mining consumables and employees to and from the mine. Seven percent of its material requirements are sourced locally. A five percent increase in local procurement was recorded in 2004.

As a holistic programme, 'Hand-in-Hand' also endeavours to foster a community spirit by encouraging participation amongst its members. To this end, social welfare clubs, equipped with sports and games equipment, have been established in each community.

While AngloGold Ashanti believes that the 'Hand-in-Hand' programme is working well, a number of challenges have surfaced along the way. For example, a misunderstanding arose over micro-credit management which resulted in over-subscription of the micro-credits and difficulty in recovering loans from some of the participating groups. In another instance one sheep farmer misunderstood the concept of sheep-rearing and instead slaughtered a sheep to bring in income. Because subsistence farming is the most popular economic activity, some vegetable producers are still trying to find a better market for their produce.

Recognition of how well the programme is proceeding overall, is that it received a commendation in 2005 for the mine's efforts to uplift surrounding communities from the District Director of Agriculture, who visited Iduapriem mine at the beginning of 2005.