VANCOUVER, BC, June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - B2Gold Corp.
(TSX: BTO) (NYSE AMERICAN: BTG) (NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the
"Company") is pleased to announce that it has published its fifth
annual Responsible Mining Report entitled "Raising the Bar" (the
"Report"), which details B2Gold's global economic contributions and
its environmental, social, and governance management practices,
together with the Company's performance against key indicators in
2020. Full details are outlined in the Report, which is available
to view or download at www.b2gold.com. All dollar figures are in
United States dollars unless
otherwise indicated.
In announcing the release of the 2020 Responsible Mining Report,
Clive Johnson, President & CEO
of B2Gold, said that "for B2Gold and the world, 2020 was an
unprecedented year. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has
altered the way we all live and work, and I could not be more proud
of the way that our teams across the globe were able to meet and
exceed all expectations and deliver another successful year."
Highlights from 2020 "Raising the Bar" Responsible Mining
Report
Economic Contribution
As a responsible gold miner, B2Gold aims to create and
distribute economic value among our stakeholders. Our economic
performance is measured by the economic value that we generate for
others, including payments to governments through taxes and
royalties, local hiring and procurement, and investment in
communities. In 2020, B2Gold:
- recorded annual gold production for the 12th consecutive
year;
- generated $1.8 Billion in Annual
Revenue;
- paid $145 million as Employee
Wages and Benefits;
- spent $14.4 million on Community
Investment; and
- paid $419 million to Governments
(through taxes and royalties).
B2Gold is committed to maximizing local and national economic
benefits from its contracting and purchasing. In sourcing the goods
and services necessary to run its operations, B2Gold gives
preference to local businesses where possible, provided they meet
minimum safety, quality, ethical, and cost requirements. Several
2020 success stories are outlined in the Report.
People
As a reputable employer, B2Gold generates opportunities for
people to develop their careers; trains employees to acquire new
skills; and opens doors to women, minorities, and
previously-disadvantaged people. In a contracting world economy due
to COVID-19, the social return on investment in the mining industry
is now more important than ever. B2Gold is proud to continue
positive contributions to the livelihoods of its employees and
their families during this challenging time.
At the end of 2020, B2Gold employed 4,2991 people
across all of its operations, 95% of which were local employees.
Where the Company operates abroad, 55% of senior management is
local. B2Gold continues to maintain high local employment rates by
targeting recruitment efforts at local and national levels.
B2Gold saw a slight increase in female representation in 2020,
with 13.4% of its total workforce being female (12% in 2019), and
23% of its senior positions being occupied by women. A Diversity
and Inclusion Statement was implemented in 2020 with an executive
champion to drive this important work. Moving forward, the Company
will broaden its diversity focus beyond gender and, as such, this
important work has evolved into an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
(EDI) Strategy. During a challenging time of lockdowns,
quarantines, and changing work arrangements, B2Gold focused on
including diverse voices in decision-making processes and providing
equal access to benefits and support.
_______________________________
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1 Employee total includes Gramalote
Colombia Limited employees. It also includes supervised contracted
labour but does not include unsupervised contractor employees. The
reported numbers include full-time and part-time permanent
employees as well as temporary employees.
|
Health and Safety
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges to the
Company's goal of ensuring the ongoing health and safety of its
workforce. Through the proactive efforts and the early targeted
actions of B2Gold's senior leadership team, health and safety
teams, and epidemiological advisors, the Company was able to
significantly mitigate and effectively manage the negative health
and safety impacts of COVID-19 on its employees, operations, and
the communities in which it operates.
B2Gold is pleased to report that in 2020, it once again
maintained a zero-fatality workplace for the fifth consecutive
year. Over this same period, B2Gold reduced its annual consolidated
Lost Time Injury (LTI) Frequency Rate by 93% – from 0.83 in 2016 to
an all-time low of 0.06 in 2020. This performance reflects B2Gold's
longstanding commitment to continuous safety improvement. The
Company's target for 2021 is to again have zero fatalities and for
each operation to reduce its Total Recordable Injury (TRI)
Frequency Rate from 2020 levels.
Environment
B2Gold is continuing to implement its 2020 to 2023 Environmental
Strategic Plan (the "Strategic Plan"), which identifies key
environmental aspects and defines specific objectives and targets
for B2Gold's operations. The Strategic Plan provides a road map for
improved environmental risk management and performance in line with
the overall Company strategy.
B2Gold recognizes that society, including business, must act
against climate change and it is implementing a series of changes
within the Company as a key aspect of the Strategic Plan. The
strategy focuses on assessing and reducing the Company's carbon
footprint, incorporating climate change risk management into
business planning/design, and increasing its external reporting and
accountability. B2Gold will publish its first Energy and Climate
Report in the second half of 2021, in line with the FSB TFCD
Climate Disclosure Recommendations.
B2Gold is proud to be an industry leader in the implementation
of renewable energy solutions to actively manage our
emissions. The Company's Otjikoto operation in Namibia maintains a fully autonomous hybrid
power plant (consisting of 6 MW solar and 24 MW Heavy Fuel Oil
(HFO) components), which eliminated over 17,000 tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in 2020.
Following the success of the Otjikoto hybrid power plant, B2Gold
commenced the construction of a similar hybrid plant (consisting of
30 MW solar and 64 MW HFO components) at its Fekola operation in
Mali in 2020. The Company
expects that solar production will reach full capacity by the end
of the second quarter of 2021. When complete, the Fekola hybrid
power plant will be one of the largest off-grid facilities of its
type in the world and is expected to reduce the operation's annual
HFO fuel consumption by approximately 13.1 million litres, keeping
approximately 39,000 tonnes of CO2e from being
released per year.
Throughout 2020, B2Gold continued its biodiversity conservation
programs at its various sites around the world. Download our full
Report and read more about our Chimpanzee Action plan in
Mali, the Rhino Gold Bar
initiative in Namibia, and the
"Ridge to Reef" rehabilitation concept in the Philippines.
Approach to Reporting
Since 2016, B2Gold has reported its economic and environmental,
social and governance (ESG) performance in alignment with the
Global Reporting Initiative Standards, Core option and the G4
Mining and Metals Sector Disclosures. B2Gold's performance is
also mapped to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). The Company firmly believes that the mining industry
has an opportunity to contribute positively to the SDGs and B2Gold
has reported its contribution in this regard since 2018.
In 2020, the Company updated its approach to reporting against
the SDGs in alignment with the GRI and UN Global Compact's An
Analysis of the Goals and Targets. As part of this process,
B2Gold reviewed the targets developed for each SDG to identify
those targets which are most applicable to the Company, as well as
possible business actions to help achieve them.
COVID-19 Response Statement
From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company put
measures in place and introduced additional precautionary steps to
manage and respond to the risks associated with COVID-19 to ensure
the safety of its employees and surrounding communities.
B2Gold has worked closely with national and local authorities in
each country where it operates to ensure compliance with all public
directives. Since the start of the pandemic, all B2Gold corporate
personnel travel has been restricted to absolute minimum
requirements and employees in the corporate offices have been
encouraged to work remotely. In Mali, Namibia, the
Philippines, Colombia and
Canada, B2Gold provided
approximately $4 million in financial
assistance to the local communities and the local and national
authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please read the
Report for more detail.
The Company continues to address the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
The pandemic continues to present new challenges, as COVID-19 cases
surge again in different parts of the world at different times.
Government and the private sector, including non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and the mining industry, must work together to
ensure continued success around the globe in recovering from this
public health crisis.
To view or download a copy of the Report, please visit
www.b2gold.com/responsible-mining/esg-reporting-portal/.
About B2Gold Corp.
B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer
headquartered in Vancouver,
Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold
mines in Mali, Namibia and the
Philippines and numerous exploration and development
projects in various countries including Mali, Colombia, Burkina
Faso, Finland and
Uzbekistan. B2Gold forecasts total
consolidated gold production of between 970,000 and 1,030,000
ounces in 2021.
ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP.
"Clive T.
Johnson"
President & Chief Executive Officer
For more information on B2Gold, please visit the Company website
at www.b2gold.com or contact:
Ian MacLean,
Vice President, Investor Relations,
+1 604-681-8371,
imaclean@b2gold.com;
|
Katie Bromley,
Manager, Investor Relations & Public Relations,
+1 604-681-8371,
kbromley@b2gold.com
|
The Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American LLC neither
approve nor disapprove the information contained in this news
release.
Production results and production guidance presented in this
news release reflect total production at the mines B2Gold operates
on a 100% project basis. Please see our Annual Information Form
dated March 30, 2021 for a discussion
of our ownership interest in the mines B2Gold operates.
This news release includes certain "forward-looking
information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively
forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable
Canadian and United States
securities legislation, including: projections; outlook; guidance;
forecasts; estimates; and other statements regarding future or
estimated financial and operational performance, gold production
and sales, revenues and cash flows, and capital costs (sustaining
and non-sustaining) and operating costs, including projected cash
operating costs and AISC, and budgets on a consolidated and mine by
mine basis; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on B2Gold's
operations, including any restrictions or suspensions with respect
to our operations and the effect of any such restrictions or
suspensions on our financial and operational results; the ability
of the Company to successfully maintain our operations if they are
temporarily suspended, and to restart or ramp-up these operations
efficiently and economically, the impact of COVID-19 on the
Company's workforce, suppliers and other essential resources and
what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on our
business, our planned capital and exploration expenditures; future
or estimated mine life, metal price assumptions, ore grades or
sources, gold recovery rates, stripping ratios, throughput, ore
processing; statements regarding anticipated exploration, drilling,
development, construction, permitting and other activities or
achievements of B2Gold; and including, without limitation: total
consolidated gold production of between 970,000 and 1,030,000
ounces in 2021; and the anticipated cost, timing and results for
the addition of a solar plant to the Fekola Mine, including the
completion of construction by the end of the second quarter of
2021. All statements in this news release that address events or
developments that we expect to occur in the future are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are
statements that are not historical facts and are generally,
although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan",
"anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule",
"forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar
expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or
conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might"
occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the
opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements
are made.
Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions,
risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond B2Gold's
control, including risks associated with or related to: the
duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of
preventative measures and contingency plans put in place by the
Company to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not
limited to, social distancing, a non-essential travel ban, business
continuity plans, and efforts to mitigate supply chain disruptions;
escalation of travel restrictions on people or products and
reductions in the ability of the Company to transport and refine
doré; the volatility of metal prices and B2Gold's common shares;
changes in tax laws; the dangers inherent in exploration,
development and mining activities; the uncertainty of reserve and
resource estimates; not achieving production, cost or other
estimates; actual production, development plans and costs differing
materially from the estimates in B2Gold's feasibility and other
studies; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits,
consents or authorizations required for mining activities;
environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex
regulations associated with mining activities; climate change and
climate change regulations; the ability to replace mineral reserves
and identify acquisition opportunities; the unknown liabilities of
companies acquired by B2Gold; the ability to successfully integrate
new acquisitions; fluctuations in exchange rates; the availability
of financing; financing and debt activities, including potential
restrictions imposed on B2Gold's operations as a result thereof and
the ability to generate sufficient cash flows; operations in
foreign and developing countries and the compliance with foreign
laws, including those associated with operations in Mali, Namibia, the
Philippines, Colombia and
Burkina Faso and including risks
related to changes in foreign laws and changing policies related to
mining and local ownership requirements or resource nationalization
generally, including in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; remote
operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure;
fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs
necessary for mining operations; shortages or cost increases in
necessary equipment, supplies and labour; regulatory, political and
country risks, including local instability or acts of terrorism and
the effects thereof; the reliance upon contractors, third parties
and joint venture partners; the lack of sole decision-making
authority related to Filminera Resources Corporation, which owns
the Masbate Project; challenges to title or surface rights; the
dependence on key personnel and the ability to attract and retain
skilled personnel; the risk of an uninsurable or uninsured loss;
adverse climate and weather conditions; litigation risk;
competition with other mining companies; community support for
B2Gold's operations, including risks related to strikes and the
halting of such operations from time to time; conflicts with small
scale miners; failures of information systems or information
security threats; the ability to maintain adequate internal
controls over financial reporting as required by law, including
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; compliance with
anti-corruption laws, and sanctions or other similar measures;
social media and B2Gold's reputation; risks affecting Calibre
having an impact on the value of the Company's investment in
Calibre, and potential dilution of our equity interest in Calibre;
as well as other factors identified and as described in more detail
under the heading "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's most recent Annual
Information Form, B2Gold's current Form 40-F Annual Report and
B2Gold's other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which may be
viewed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively (the
"Websites"). The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may
affect B2Gold's forward-looking statements
B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the
applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable
as of the date hereof, based on the information available to
management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but
are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to B2Gold's
ability to carry on current and future operations, including: the
duration and effects of COVID-19 on our operations and workforce;
development and exploration activities; the timing, extent,
duration and economic viability of such operations, including any
mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and
reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and
assessments; B2Gold's ability to meet or achieve estimates,
projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the
price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange
rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals
or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the
ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when
required; the current and future social, economic and political
conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated
with the mining industry.
B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the opinions
and estimates of management and reflect their current expectations
regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as
of the date hereof. B2Gold does not assume any obligation to update
forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's
beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as
required by applicable law. There can be no assurance that
forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual
results, performance or achievements could differ materially from
those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking
statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events
anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or
occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold
will derive therefrom. For the reasons set forth above, undue
reliance should not be placed on forward-looking
statements.
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SOURCE B2Gold Corp.