Our Green Streets Blog

As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to the environment and to sustainable development, Newmont Ghana is, under the supervision of Mohammed Bin Abubakar, the reclamation coordinator for Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo mine, employing a rather unique erosion control system.

Not content with the long-term environmental consequences associated with traditional plastic netting commonly used to control erosion around roads and waterways, Bin Abubakar sought a more responsible solution. What he came up with was a revolutionary project that forgoes plastic netting in favor of locally manufactured, biodegradable netting.  

In addition to providing employment for an entire village that manufactures the netting, the project also eases the burden on local farmers because the material used to make the nets comes from the bark of the York tree, a weed that was once a nuisance for farmers to clear.  

This weed once an expense to clear, has now been transformed into an extra source of income for these farmers.  What’s more, it’s a win-win-win situation as these mats eventually decay, returning their nutrients to the soil and thus aiding the growth of all matter of plants and grasses that will permanently hold the soil down.

Click Here to view “Jute Mats”