GK operates the Ancuabe Graphite Mine in the Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique. Cabo Delgado is one of the poorest provinces in one of the poorest countries in the world and is severely lacking in terms of infrastructure and public services such as hospital and schools.
Seventy percent of the Company’s work force is from the villages close to the mine, making the Company the largest private employer in the district.
In order to improve the living conditions of its local employees and to benefit the local population GK Ancuabe Graphite Mine focuses its social program on three villages Nangume, Natocua and Muaguide. Over the years, the Company has supported these three villages in the areas of education, agriculture and health.
In September 2019, a meeting was held in which the Company, the local communities and the local authorities agreed on the priorities for the Company’s social program for the period 2020 to 2022. The focus areas in order of priority are:
- The rehabilitation of schools (one in each village)
- An agricultural support program
- The construction of a creche (childcare center)
The first school that was upgraded under these priorities is the Nangume primary school. GK constructed a new building with three classrooms and furnished the classrooms with desks and benches. GK also had a water well installed with a water supply system for the school including tanks, and a solar power pump. A new toilet block was built and connected to the new water supply. The existing toilets were renovated and the original school building was repainted.
The new classrooms and water supply of the Nangume school were inaugurated by the Ancuabe district administrator on May 20, 2021.