Our Essakane
Mine in Burkina Faso recently reconvened with representatives from the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to report on the progress made in the
implementation phase of the FAMAGODO Project, a key component of IAMGOLD and the
UNDP’s Local Governance and Social Cohesion (GoLCoS) project.
The FAMAGODO Project is a two-year jointly funded US$2.5 million-dollar initiative
between IAMGOLD and UNDP, aimed at promoting youth employment, reducing poverty and strengthening
local infrastructure in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, in
particular the mine’s nearby host communities of Falagountou, Markoye,
Gorom-Gorom and Dori. IAMGOLD has invested a total of US$2 million into local
development over the course of the agreement, which wrapped up in at the end of
2024.
The agreement has supported the implementation of several initiatives
with the goal of bringing positive benefits to communities in the region,
including:
- Increased
levels of employment as well as improved socio-economic inclusion through the
incubation of 125 project ideas led by youth and women from the community,
using a value chain approach.
- Sustainable
access to water through the implementation of a 30,000 cubic meter water
reservoir, which has increased productivity levels in agriculture and
ecological activities.
- A shift
towards sustainable energy sources, with solar panels having been installed in Dori
to light a shopping street, further contributing to sustainability efforts in
the community.
In their
meeting, the UNDP country representative and Tidiane Barry, Vice President,
West Africa and General Manager, Essakane reviewed their progress and began to
discuss plans to further strengthen their collaboration to ensure sustainable,
long-term impact.
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.
“We are very
proud of the work of our staff on the ground for this initiative,” Tidiane said
of the project. “As a key economic
player in Burkina Faso, programs like these are not only essential to
sustainable community development, but they are also imperative for our company
to maintain its social license to operate.”
👉
Learn more about our partnership in our previous blog post: IAMGOLD
Corporation - IAMGOLD invests US$2 million to boost local economic development
in Burkina Faso alongside UN agency
👉 About the UNDP
Learn more about the
United Nations Development Programme at www.undp.org.