Gold Fields’ Ghana Unit will hire a contractor for its Tarkwa mine operations from early 2018, according to a report published by New24 Online.
Gold Fields has decided to look for a contractor instead of replacing the aging equipment, due to the short span of the remaining deposit. The company acquired its current fleet in 2004.
Gold Fields Ghana Vice President, David Johnson, said the eligible contractor would have to be well equipped with a fleet and be responsible for sound maintenance to ensure uptime.
Johnson revealed that the hiring of a contractor would result in retrenchment 1500 employees
Tarkwa produces about 550 000 ounces of gold per year and has about five to six years left for its current design.
Ghana is the continent’s biggest gold producer after South Africa and accounted for a third of Gold Fields’ revenue in 2016.
