Kokoyah District, Bong County – Turkish mining company MNG Gold located in Kokoyah District, Bong County has dismissed claims that it is planning to exit Liberia, even as it confirmed that it will continue its operations by five to six years by embarking on underground mining exploration.
The statement comes as the company nears the expiration of a five-year agreement signed in 2016 with the government of Liberia.
Speculations have also heightened that the company is about to redundant additional employees, months after it downsized 159 of its employees – both Liberians and expatriates.
But the supervisor of MNG Gold’s Department of Government and Community Relations and the company’s public relations officer said the rumors are untrue.
Eugene Kollie and Llyold Ngwayah stated that the company is determined to extend its opeartains with the for five to six years.
Said Kollie: “There are rumors that MNG is about to pull out of Liberia. That’s not the case. The company is determined to stay in Liberia. In fact, we are at the verge of completing an agreement with the government that will extend its operations in the country.”
The two officials disclosed that the company has already procured additional machines, trucks and other essential mining equipment in the tone of US$45 million to kickoff the under ground mining.
The company, they said, would begin training staff in all sectors before the commencement of the underground mining.
“We will shortly begin recruiting people for the underground mining that we are about to commence. Some of those the company redundant will be recruited but only on contractual basis,” added Ngwayah.
“These people will be trained for three to four months before we can start the underground mining.”
No Plans to Reduce Workforce
MNG Gold has no plans to reduce its workforce and it focusing on recruiting people who will be trained for five to six months as the company embarks on underground mining, the two officials said.
“MNG Gold has no plans to reduce its plans either in the next two or six months as it is being rumored,” Kollie said.
Citizens Benefiting from Communal Farming
Meanwhile, some residents of communities affected by the company’s operations have begun selling their produce to the company.
The company has been collaborating with the Sustainable Integrated Development Initiatives for Africa, a local non-governmental organization, to train and empower 120 women household heads to cultivate 10 hectares of variety of seasonal food crops.
In April, citizens of Bahn Town, Bohn Town, Free Town, Dahnway Village, Dolo Town, Dorbor Town, CEe Town, David Dean Town and surrounding areas, with support from the company, agreed to engage in communal farming as a means of generating money to improve their livelihoods.
Ngwayah said he was glad that some citizens of affected communities have begun utilizing the opportunity being provided by the company to generate income for themselves.
“This is exactly what our agriculture component of our community initiative meant for. We hope that more local farmers benefit from this initiative,” Ngwayah said.
Continuing, he added: “MNG has assured the citizens the market to help them realize their potentials. The program was meant for outside donors support but since no external donor support yet the company thought it prudent to intervene.”