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Communities in the Wassa East District of the Western Region have been urged to avail themselves for training to increase their chances of employment.

The Corporate Affairs Manager of Unipower Mines, Kwabena Ampim Darko, explained that many mining companies have suffered attacks for denying locals employment due to their lack of skills.

He said Unipower Mines is interested in developing the skills of the people to make them competitive on the job market.

“We have brought job opportunities and we will employ them…However, when we came here and asked for excavator operators, we didn’t get. This means that the youth here don’t have the skills, so what we seek to do is to train them.”

“We have opened our arms widely to train them and help them know how to use these machines. It is very important even if maybe a decade, two or three after, and Unipower is not in existence here, they can also help in their practical lives as a community. So this is what we will do to ensure that they don’t complain about us denying them jobs”, he said.

On Corporate Social Responsibility, he said their donation of 200 bags of cement, one ton of iron rods, 60 plastic chairs and five packs of iron sheets to the communities of Nsuta, Kakabo and Abetimesu within its immediate operational catchment even before Unipower starts its operations signifies their commitment towards improving lives.

“Estimated cost of what we are donating to the communities today is around GHS50,000. We haven’t started working but exploration. All the same when we came to the community, and as a people centred company, we had an engaged with the people and they expressed a need to build a teacher’s bungalow and a JHS unit as well.

“So we accepted to help them achieve that so the children here can graduate to the next cycle of education to have a better life hence our donation”, he added.

The District Chief Executive of Wassa East, Emmanuel Boakye and the acting Chief of Abetimesu, Nana Ansah, who jointly received the donated items on behalf of the people, commended Unipower for their commitment to support the youth and development in the community.