The Newfield group has been working in West Africa for nearly 20 years. In that time we have built strong relationships with both local and national levels of government, and various local communities, and contributed sustainable infrastructure such as schools, clinics, roads, and court barres in towns and villages where new infrastructure has not been built for several decades.
Job Creation
A substantial number of people from the local communities surrounding where we operate are dependent on our operations for employment.
The Tongo Project is expected to create approximately 700 direct local jobs. It is anticipated that this number will increase over time as skilled expatriate workers are replaced by local employees through Sierra Diamonds’ skills transfer programs.
Newfield takes the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to Sierra Leone and its people very seriously.
With the construction of the Tongo Mine, the opportunity to develop the local community has grown to the next level. A Community Development Agreement was signed by the Company and community in 2019. Funded by royalties from diamond sales, the community development plan is managed by the community themselves. They have established an action plan based on the following thematic objectives:
Education:
Initiatives include construction and upgrading of schools, sponsoring local candidates for both academic and trades, sponsoring local trade schools, and; provision of university bursaries (particularly to students in the sciences).
Provision of Clean and Safe Drinking Water:
Support initiatives like construction of boreholes to provide access to clean and safe drinking water for communities.
Local Enterprise Development:
Support and Strengthening small Local businesses or emerging business initiatives in Agriculture and economic empowerment.
Capacity Building:
Provide capacity building in leadership, financial management, project planning and management for local community structures etc.
Newfield engages with local stakeholders during regular meetings, which bring together members of local Chiefdom structures, local Government, and Members of Parliament, as well as landowners, NGOs and the general public. These gatherings are an opportunity for the Company to keep the public informed of the Tongo Project’s progress, and for the community to provide specific feedback.
Environmental sustainability
Newfield’s exploration and mining activities in Sierra Leone are governed by Sierra Leone environmental legislation and regulations, including Mines and Minerals Act, 2009.
Environmental performance is reported from each site to management on a regular basis. Compliance with the requirements of environmental regulations has been substantially achieved across all operations with no instance of non-compliance noted.
Tongo Project Community Initiatives
Since Newfield acquired the Tongo Project, significant community intiatives have already been implemented, even before any revenue has been generated. These include:
- Construction of three new schools in local villages
- Bursaries for 20 students to study at the local technical training academy
- Capacity building and training for representatives of the Community Development Committee in leafership, finance and project management
- Rehabilitation of local access roads and bridges
- Sensitization in schools and villages for management of the Covid-19 pandemic and donation of Veronica buckets, masks and hand-sanitizer
