On October 25, France’s ambassador to Senegal, Mr Philippe Lalliot, took a tour of our mining site in Diogo.
The visit was a chance for the diplomat and his Chief Economics Officer to familiarize themselves with our industrial operations, as well as our societal commitments.
The eventful day saw a series of presentations by CEO Guillaume Kurek and his teams, during which they focused on the production infrastructure, community-related challenges, the resettlement strategy, as well as GCO’s prized restoration process.
At the end of the tour, Mr Lalliot congratulated and thanked the site’s teams for their warm welcome and expertise.
He said that he was impressed to see the company involved in such a major economic operation, which requires heavy investments and is profitable over the long term, while also taking great care to cultivate positive relations with the host communities.
Mr Lalliot particularly appreciated the company’s efforts to improve living conditions and meet the expectations of the affected communities. He also praised the teams for their expertise in improving the environment, as well as their efforts to promote local employment for young people and, in particular, women.
“The mining sector generally has a poor brand image. But here is a company that takes an exemplary approach to its work and checks all the CSR boxes,” he said.
“It’s great for France’s image,” he continued, “to highlight companies like GCO that have a successful business model while incorporating human, social, and environmental considerations.” A great incentive to continue our efforts to build a robust and responsible corporate model.
