The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation is making significant strides in transforming livelihoods across the host communities of the Tarkwa and Damang mines through targeted investments in enterprise development.
By supporting agribusiness and small enterprises, the Foundation is helping young people become self‑sufficient, while building long‑term economic resilience.
One of the flagship initiatives is the Youth in Horticulture Production (YouHoP) programme, launched in May 2016. Initially scheduled for completion in 2019, the programme was extended and successfully ran until 2022.
Implemented in partnership with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), YouHoP equipped vegetable farmers with modern agricultural skills, including nursery management, transplanting, pest and disease control, pesticide application, harvesting, packaging and marketing.
Through the programme, farmers cultivated crops such as cucumber, cabbage, green pepper, lettuce, and spring onions. In 2020, 60 YouHoP farmers achieved Green Label Certification, confirming that their produce met safe and hygienic standards.
Overall, YouHoP improved the livelihoods of 662 farmers, including 244 women, while also benefiting other community members engaged in the value chain.
Beyond training, participants gained access to soft loans through the Promprom Credit Union, and 258 beneficiaries were enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), ensuring both economic empowerment and social protection.
The Foundation’s Cocoa Farmers’ Support Programme, introduced in 2018 in Damang, has also delivered remarkable results. Farmers receive COCOBOD‑approved fertilisers, agrochemicals, farm equipment, and training in safe application practices.
Each year, 120 new farmers join the programme, benefiting for three years before exiting to allow broader participation.
So far, 600 farmers with a combined farm size of 1,200 acres have benefited, recording a 77 per cent increase in average cocoa yields and income growth of more than 40 per cent.
Following its success in Damang, the programme was extended to Tarkwa in 2025, with a target of supporting at least 300 farmers over five years.
Another impactful initiative rolled out in the host communities of the Tarkwa mine is the Community Oil Palm Production (COPP) programme, designed to boost local oil palm cultivation and create sustainable employment.
Since its inception in 2022, the programme has engaged 444 farmers, each cultivating at least three acres of land, with the Foundation providing them with high‑yielding Tenera seedlings, fertilisers and other essential agro‑inputs.
To ensure the long‑term availability of seedlings, a community‑owned nursery company, ECOPALMS‑GH, was established, employing 18 community members — 15 of them women — and positioning itself as a driver of inclusive economic growth.
Beyond supplying seedlings to COPP farmers, ECOPALMS‑GH, with support from the Business Advisory Centre of the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, has successfully developed additional markets to expand into, securing business continuity and resilience even after the COPP programme.
Complementing these agribusiness initiatives is the Promprom Co‑operative Credit Union, established in 2017 to promote financial inclusion. With branches in Tarkwa, Huni Valley, and Damang, the credit union serves more than 20 communities and has become a lifeline for individuals excluded from traditional banking.
It currently has over 6,300 customers and has disbursed loans worth GHS 6 million to more than 265 members, including farmers, artisans, teachers and small business owners.
The credit union has supported enterprises such as Vision View International School, Future Intellectual Academy, JUMEKUF Enterprise, Man’s Lodge Hotel and EuniAbu Enterprise.
Beyond financial services, it has created jobs for 13 members of the host community and supported social inclusion programmes, including inter‑school sports competitions and annual festivals.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate the Foundation’s commitment to empowering communities, fostering economic independence and embedding sustainability into its operations.
By investing in agribusiness, supporting cocoa farmers and expanding financial access, the Foundation is not only improving livelihoods but also laying the foundation for resilient, thriving communities in Tarkwa, Damang and beyond.
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