Essakane awarded its best employees of 2023 on Wednesday, April 17 during a gala in Burkina Faso. The winners have distinguished themselves by their extraordinary performance over the past year.

The grand prize of the night went to Irrissa Koma, Senior Machinist in Mobile Maintenance. Housseini Ag Rhussa, Main Operator at the Factory, and Abdoul Sa Traore, Health and Safety Officer, came in second and third places. The jury chaired by Tidiane Barry, General Manager, also gave a heartfelt appreciation to Monique S. Sombie, Kitchen Hygienist. All these major winners were announced on the terrace of the mining site camp during the event. 

The criteria for the choice of an employee of the year consider four pillars: health, safety, environment and performance. 

For his award, Koma proposed and implemented an innovation that reduced the downtime of the Manitowoc GR-902, a crucial crane for production. This modification made it possible to reduce the waiting time for parts and save approximately USD 16,000 (10 million F CFA). Koma also carried out other projects on tool manufacturing and machine parts rehabilitation that saved the mine department’s time and cut costs.

In its 9th year, Essakane's Employee of the Year program has rewarded the best performing employees who have made a significant contribution to improving production performance in compliance with occupational health and safety rules.

Congratulations to Koma Irissa and all the winners!