IAMGOLD : invests US$2 million in local development projects in Burkina Faso alongside UN agency

IAMGOLD invests US$2 million in local development projects in Burkina Faso alongside UN agency

At IAMGOLD, we are committed to enriching the lives of our stakeholders and working co-operatively with our host communities so they can benefit from our company's presence wherever we operate.

To that end, IAMGOLD is very pleased to announce that its Essakane mine in Burkina Faso has recently signed a US$2.5 million agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to lead a series of innovative local development initiatives in the country.

Mathieu Ciowela (left), the United Nations Development Programme's representative in Burkina Faso, and Mohamed Ourriban (right), Essakane Mine's General Manager, upon the signature of the agreement on April 29, 2022. Credit: UNDP/Burkina Faso.

Through this joint partnership, IAMGOLD will invest a total of US$2 million into local development initiatives that will benefit the people of the Sahel region, in particular the mine's nearby host communities of Falagountou, Markoye, Gorom-Gorom and Dori. The agreement, in place for two years, will help develop and implement a variety of projects focused on supporting local governance, boosting youth employment, reducing poverty and reinforcing local infrastructure.

IAMGOLD is proud to partner with the UNDP, the United Nations' lead agency on international development. Operating across 170 countries and territories, the UNDP works with a range of partners, like IAMGOLD, to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress.

Located in the Sahel region 330 km northeast of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, the Essakane mine is a key player in the country's economy and a major private employer. Every year, in addition to the community development projects it carries out, IAMGOLD generates significant economic and social benefits for its workers and host communities in the countries where it operates, through taxes, royalties and fees paid to governments, as well as operations payments to national and local suppliers and wages to employees. In 2021, IAMGOLD's activities in Burkina Faso injected over US$370.74 million in the country's economy.

We are very proud of the work of our general management and community relations staff on the ground for this initiative. Programs like these are not only essential to sustainable community development, they are also imperative for our company to maintain its social license to operate.

Learn more about the United Nations Development Programme at the www.undp.org.