Communities

Contributing to resilient, self-sustaining communities

We understand the influential role that mining companies can play in the development of local communities and their supporting economies and strive as far as possible to nurture harmonious relationships with host communities.

This is especially important in the context of the complex and diverse environments where we operate. The socio-economic issues most prevalent in our host communities include unemployment, low economic growth, inadequate infrastructure and lack of access to services including healthcare and education. Communities also have concerns about food and water security.

In framing our approach to social contribution, we are guided by a set of management standards that outline the philosophy, scope and application of our community development initiatives. Focus areas include:

• Enterprise and supplier development
• Localisation of employment and procurement opportunities
• Infrastructure development
• Public health initiatives
• Education and skills development

2023 statistics

Community investment

$18.8m
including equity-accounted join ventures and projects of a capital nature

Local procurement spend

$4.3bn
with local suppliers

Community incidents

54
(2022: 48)

Policies and standards

• Group Policy: Health, Safety and Security English, pdf Español, pdf Português, pdf Français, pdf Arabic, pdf
• Local Procurement Update 2021 English, pdf
• Management Standard: Artisanal and Small Scale Mining English, pdf
• Management Standard: Community Complaints and Grievances English, pdf
• Management Standard: Community Incident English, pdf
• Management Standard: Cultural Heritage and Sacred Sites English, pdf
• Management Standard: Indigenous People English, pdf
• Management Standard: Land Access and Resettlement English, pdf
• Management Standard: Land Use English, pdf
• Management Standard: Socioeconomic Contribution English, pdf
• Management Standard: Stakeholder engagement English, pdf

For further information, refer to the Sustainability Report 2023: Supporting community resilience

The rights of indigenous peoples

We engage and align with communities, including indigenous peoples.

Embedded in our values is understanding and respect for the values, traditions, and cultures of the local and Indigenous Communities in which we operate. Although only our operations in Australia are close to indigenous communities, AngloGold Ashanti seeks to ensure that our interactions with Indigenous Peoples are in keeping with the basic human rights and their social, economic and environmental interests. We are guided by our human rights framework and the Indigenous Peoples Management Standard which aligns with international standards and conventions including the ICMM Position Statement on Indigenous Peoples and the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 7 on Indigenous Peoples.

The principles of free, prior, informed consent are therefore largely applied in all our interactions with host communities and indigenous peoples, focusing on good faith negotiation. In addition, our Cultural Heritage and Sacred Sites Management Standard supports our focus on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. We contribute through various programmes aimed at providing opportunities for participation in employment, education, gender equality, inclusive procurement, among others.