Business Context & Our Approach

We understand stakeholders' environmental concerns and prioritize precautionary actions. Our goal is to minimize, mitigate, and remediate impacts through responsible environmental stewardship. Effective natural resource management is crucial for our success, and we are committed to upholding the highest environmental standards.

Galiano’s commitment to responsible environmental management is embodied in our Environmental Policy, including:

  • Adhering to local laws, complemented by global best practices for environmental management
  • Allocating resources for fulfilling environmental responsibilities
  • Preventing air, land, and water pollution, with effective waste management
  • Prioritizing energy efficiency
  • Ensuring no negative human rights impacts
  • Establishing, revising, and reporting environmental targets for ongoing enhancement.

2023 Highlights

  • 0 Significant Environmental Accidents
  • 51.62 ha of land under active rehabilitation
  • Maintained ICMC certification
  • Compliance
  • Climate Resilience
  • Energy
  • Water
  • Waste
  • Biodiversity

Compliance

One of our primary sustainability goals is to be a trusted corporate citizen by striving for the highest standards of governance to drive transparency and improve accountability with our stakeholders. We are committed to environmental management practices that comply with environmental legal and regulatory requirements. We comply with all environmental laws and regulations in Ghana and seek to augment these with appropriate international guidelines and best practice environmental management including:

Key Levers:

  • IFC Performance Standards
  • World Bank Environment, Health, and Safety General and Mining Guidelines
  • World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality
  • International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC)

The AGM Environmental Management System (EMS) aligns its environmental planning, monitoring, and reporting practices with Ghanaian regulatory requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and annual environmental performance reports are submitted to the EPA, which regularly performs environmental inspections and verification visits.

Site environmental management is also consistent with following the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework (part of ISO14001:2015); an iterative process that facilitates continual improvement of our environmental performance.

Climate Resilience

Galiano is committed to addressing climate change impacts. We prioritize managing and minimizing environmental effects, particularly those linked to climate change. Improving water and energy efficiency enhances both long-term profitability and our contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our robust climate change adaptation plan identifies cost-effective measures for implementation, enhancing our environmental commitment.

Using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, our calculated Scope 1 GHG emissions for 2023 were 47.18 ktCO2eq.

Galiano plans to draft a preliminary internal report in line with the TCFD recommendations in 2024. In preparation, the AGM commissioned a TCFD background report in 2023 that summarized climate change impacts specific to Ghana, focusing on policy, infrastructure, health, agroforestry and biodiversity.

Energy

The AGM has developed an energy policy that will drive the mine towards continuously improving energy performance and using energy in the most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible manner possible. Work that is being undertaken includes exploring options to reduce our reliance on electricity generated from fossil fuels, working with local regulators to improve our access to renewable energy sources, as well as identifying potential options for local generation.

The AGM is also exploring means to improve its overall energy use efficiency, implementing programs to upgrade less energy-efficient equipment where practical and looking for opportunities to use less energy.

The overall energy consumption for the AGM in 2023 was 989 TJ.

Water

Mining is water-intensive and as climate change impacts persist, global water supplies face stress and extreme weather events. To meet these challenges, water stewardship is central to our operations. We are dedicated to ensuring that managed water resources and saved withdrawals lead to socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial water availability.

Although the AGM is not located in a water-stressed region, access to clean water can be an issue for neighbouring communities as illegal mining in nearby areas negatively impacts surface and near-surface groundwater quality. As a result of this, the AGM works to improve water quality and develop water delivery infrastructure for local communities, working closely with regulators, traditional authorities, and local administration.

Total water consumption by the AGM in 2023 was 1,274,913 m³, down from 2,554,990 m³ in 2022, mainly due to reduced mining activities. Water usage for dust suppression decreased by almost 480,000 m³. The quantity of water consumed for dust suppression is expected to increase again in 2024 as mining recommences. The use of recycled water in the process plant increased in 2023, exceeding our target of sourcing at least 80% of plant process water from the TSF.

Waste

Our Environmental Policy drives responsible mineral waste management at the Asanko Gold Mine. We' have implemented a comprehensive Waste Management Plan, focusing on waste reduction, recycling, and reuse. Our aim is to prevent, shrink, recycle, and explore waste as an energy source before opting for secure disposal.

The Waste Management Plan at AGM deals with diverse waste categories, categorized as hazardous and non-hazardous. We emphasize options like reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting for each waste stream.

We ensure strong engineering and containment measures (e.g., impermeable liners, bund walls) to prevent the release of contaminated leachate. Our site monitoring and rehabilitation programs reinforce this commitment.

All plant tailings are stored in AGM's single tailings storage facility (TSF). In 2023, 6.0 Mt (dry) of tailings were added. The TSF's construction has progressed in phases, with Stages 5 and 6 currently operating. Stage 7 construction was 90% complete by the end of 2023 and finished in March 2024, adding a further 21.4 Mt of storage capacity and includes preparatory works for the next phase of construction; Stage 8.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity profoundly impacts local communities near the Asanko Gold Mine. Galiano is dedicated to surpassing environmental standards and adopting best practices to manage our ecological impact. Our Asanko Gold Mine Biodiversity Implementation Plan includes frequent baseline assessments of flora and fauna, addressing both operational and closure biodiversity aspects. We compile data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to ensure comprehensive conservation efforts.

AGM's Biodiversity Implementation Plan aligns with Ghana's National Biodiversity Strategy, EPA regulations, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Aichi Biodiversity Targets.