TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2017 /CNW/ - Golden Star Resources (NYSE
American: GSS; TSX: GSC; GSE: GSR) ("Golden Star" or the "Company")
is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the 2018
Environmental and Social Responsibility Award by the Prospectors
and Developers Association of Canada ("PDAC").
Selected by PDAC's Board of Directors, this award recognizes an
organization that demonstrates outstanding initiative, leadership,
and accomplishment in establishing and maintaining good relations
with local communities and in protecting and preserving the natural
environment during an exploration program or operation of a
mine.
Golden Star will be honored at an
awards ceremony to be held during PDAC's annual convention in
Toronto on March 6, 2018.
Sam Coetzer, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Golden
Star, commented:
"We are very proud to receive the PDAC 2018 Environmental and
Social Responsibility Award. Responsible mining is at the
heart of our company and we are committed to working with the
highest level of respect for the communities and environments in
which we operate. Whenever I visit our operations I am
humbled by the passion and commitment shown by our team to working
in a respectful way and ensuring that a positive and sustainable
legacy remains beyond the lives of our operations. In
addition to providing a safe workplace, we invest in
infrastructure, medical programs and facilities, employment and
skills training, education and agricultural programs. We are
also committed to broadening gender diversity at all levels of our
company, with women now strongly represented on our Board, in our
management team and in our operations teams. We have had a
presence in Ghana for 18 years and
we are proud to contribute to the economic growth of the
communities, region and country in which we work. However
this award does not just belong to Golden
Star, but to all of our partners in Ghana, and to them I give my deepest thanks
for working alongside us to create long term, sustainable value for
all of our stakeholders."
Other recognition for Golden
Star's commitment to corporate responsibility
Golden Star has received several
awards for its corporate responsibility efforts in the past.
In 2008 Golden Star was awarded the prestigious Nedbank Capital
Green Mining Award for the Company's creation and continuing
support of the Golden Star Oil Palm Plantation ("GSOPP").
GSOPP is a social enterprise initiative, funded with
$1 per ounce of gold produced.
It employs over 700 people and delivers crop yields that are three
times the small-holder average in Ghana.
At the 30th National Farmer's
Day Celebrations, GSOPP was recognized with the Best Farm
Based Organization Award and a GSOPP participant, Mr. Tuffour
Quaicoe, was named Best Oil Palm Farmer.
Golden Star are proud to have
been recognized at the Minerals Commission annual awards in the
categories of Best Rescue Mine, Best Safe Mine Based on
Accident Statistics, Best Mine based on HSE Audit and
Best Improved Mine based on Occupational Injury Performance,
with our operations rating first, second or third in all of these
categories since 2014.
Additionally the Minerals Commission recognized the Wassa Gold
Mine ("Wassa") team with three successive annual wins in the
national Mines Safety and First Aid Competition from 2014-2016.
Wassa's Health and Safety Superintendent, Shamsudeen Sidi Adam, was also presented with
the first ever Excellence Achievement award for managing the Wassa
team during its three years as champions.
At the inaugural Ghana Mining Industry Awards gala in 2015,
Wassa won the Best Performance in Occupational Health and
Safety, and underlined this performance in 2016 as first runner
up in the category.
Golden Star also achieved
recognition at the Ghana Mining Awards in 2016 as first runner up
in the category of Corporate Social Investment Project of the Year
for the company's Prestea South Mbease Nsuta Community Benefit and
Value Retention Initiative. Through this project,
Golden Star supported the formation
and licensing of Local Companies in Mining Services ("LOCOMS") as a
parent company for 18 locally registered companies. The initiative
successfully enhances opportunities for smaller local companies to
grow and become more competitive in regards to the provision of
mining supply and support services. To date, LOCOMS companies have
employed over 250 people directly since its inception, and have
been paid over $11m. In 2016,
over 84% of the value of Golden Star Ghana's goods and services was
provided by Ghanaian companies.
The Company's Community Relations and Social Responsibility
Manager for the Prestea mine, Robert
Gyamfi, was also given an award by the Ministry of Trade and
Industry in 2016 for his contribution towards the development of a
national corporate social responsibility policy for Ghana.
For more information about Golden
Star's commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen,
please visit www.gsr.com/responsibility or the Golden Star
Corporate Responsibility blog, which is called Golden Star in the Community
(goldenstarinthecommunity.blogspot.ca).
All monetary amounts refer to United States dollars unless otherwise
indicated.
Company Profile:
Golden Star is an established
gold mining company that owns and operates the Wassa and Prestea
mines situated on the prolific Ashanti Gold
Belt in Ghana, West Africa. Listed on the NYSE American, the
TSX, and the GSE, Golden Star is
strategically focused on increasing operating margins and cash flow
through the development of its two high grade, low cost underground
mines both in conjunction with existing open pit operations. The
Wassa Underground Gold Mine commenced commercial production in
January 2017 and the Prestea
Underground Gold Mine is expected to achieve commercial production
in the fourth quarter of 2017. Gold production in 2017 is expected
to be 255,000-280,000 ounces with cash operating costs of
US$780-860 per ounce.
SOURCE Golden Star Resources Ltd.