ACACIA CELEBRATES GRADUATION OF 105 TANZANIAN FUTURE MINING LEADERS

The Managing Director of Acacia operations in Tanzania, Asa Mwaipopo (centre in the first row) in a group photo with some graduates of the company’s Rainbow Leadership Development Programme.

Acacia Mining Business Improvement Manager Rodney Burges (left) hands a certificate to Morice Ndagije from the company’s Buzwagi Gold Mine during the graduation ceremony of Acacia’s Rainbow Leadership Development Programme held on Friday evening in Mwanza.

Mwanza. Acacia celebrated the graduation of 105 employees who have successfully completed the Company’s Rainbow Leadership Development Programme.

The ceremony held on Friday evening in Mwanza, marked the fourth round of graduations from the company’s Rainbow Programme since it began delivering the course in 2016.

As its flagship training course, the Rainbow Programme focuses on staff in their first-level management roles across Acacia and is designed to identify talent and develop their skill-sets for more senior positions within the organisation.

The Rainbow Programme was created and is delivered in its entirety by a team of highly-skilled Tanzanian professionals and is at the centre of Acacia’s localisation strategy in Tanzania.

Rainbow, together with other professional training programmes delivered by the Company, has enabled the business to reduce its international workforce by 85% over the last five years. As of 2017, 96.2% of Acacia’s employees are Tanzanian nationals.

Through the Programme, Acacia has trained leaders across a range of specialisms including mining, engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil), metallurgy, geology, and the environment.

“I am honoured to award certificates to the 105 Acacia employees who have graduated from our Rainbow Leadership Development Programme today,” Asa Mwaipopo, Managing Director, Tanzania, said. “I congratulate all graduates on their remarkable achievement. They have not only laid the groundwork for moving into more senior leadership roles within Acacia but also stand to contribute substantially to Tanzania’s economic growth and the country’s industrialisation goals.”

The Rainbow Programme is delivered through a series of classroom lectures, examinations and workplace assignments. During the six-month, intensive course the Rainbow graduates have completed eight separate modules spanning team leadership, effective communication, management culture, Company disciplinary and grievance codes, well-being in the workplace, managing interpersonal relationships, building trust and using internal systems.

Over the last two years a total of 204 employees across Acacia’s three mines – North Mara, Bulyanhulu and Buzwagi – have completed the Rainbow Programme. The Company has already reaped the benefits of the investment in its workforce, witnessing increased productivity levels and an improved safety record at all of its mines in 2017.

Acacia’s approach is focused on strengthening its core pillars; its business, its people and its relationships, whilst continuing to invest in their future in order to achieve its Vision of creating a leading African company.

In spite of the challenges that Acacia is currently facing in Tanzania the business continues to be driven forward by the talent and commitment of its people and, in turn, this demonstrates the value of continuing to invest in them.

Through its internal training packages, the company have continued to demonstrate its commitment to skills development within its workforce and more widely in Tanzania.

The company’s approach is aligned with the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and the second phase of the Government’s Five Year Development Plan which seeks to deliver training and skills development within the mining industry to foster economic growth and industrialization in Tanzania.