For nearly two years, the silence from the Bogoso-Prestea Mine was more than the absence of machinery. For hundreds of workers and their families, it meant the loss of regular inco
The report indicates that for nearly two years, the silence from the Bogoso-Prestea Mine was more than the absence of machinery. For hundreds of workers and their families, it meant the loss of regular incomes, mounting debts and daily uncertainty about how to survive.
It further notes that when mining operations came to a halt under the mine’s previous operator, workers who had depended on monthly salaries suddenly found themselves without jobs. Many exhausted their savings, took on debt and turned to informal work to support their households.
Today, activity has returned to the mine following the resumption of operations by Heath Goldfields Limited. Heavy equipment is back in motion, gold production has resumed and many former workers have been recalled.
For workers like Francis Kwofie, a Mill Operator with Heath Goldfields Limited, the return to work marks the end of one of the most difficult periods of his life.
Kwofie spent nearly two years at home after operations ceased.
“After the shutdown, we spent about two years at home. Things weren’t easy for us, especially myself and my family. Generally things weren’t easy for us because there was no monthly salary,” he recounted.
The prolonged loss of income quickly drained whatever financial cushion his family had built over the years.
“The small one we kept at the bank, after finishing it, even paying school fees and feeding at home was not easy,” he said.
One of his greatest challenges was financing the education of his child, who had gained admission to the University of Education, Winneba.
“Life became very difficult. Paying the fees for my child who gained admission to the University of Education, Winneba was a struggle. I had to take a loan to get him to school. It hasn’t been easy.”
With no mining work available, Kwofie joined his wife in running her small business to keep the family afloat.
“My wife was running a small business, so I was helping her because I didn’t have any work during that time,” he said.
Beyond individual households, he stated the shutdown affected economic activity across the entire area.
“When the company shut down, their business went down. And now Heath has come back, their business has come back.”
