Bannerman Mining Resources has been the 2023 ESG Forum Award in the Community Engagement category at the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
The Environment Social Governance (ESG) award, recognizes Bannerman’s Early Learner Assistance Program.
The Early Learner Assistance Program was created by Bannerman in 2011 with the aim of reducing the dropout rate of primary school children.
The program involves working with the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture to identify underprivileged students most at risk of dropping out and providing them with uniforms and materials to support their education. The company also travels to remote schools to personally deliver the materials and give presentations to encourage students to stay in school and follow their dreams.
To date, the Early Learner Assistance Program has benefitted over 3,300 learners in six regions of Namibia. In 2022, Bannerman made the program “open source” to encourage other mining companies to adopt and improve upon the initiative within their own host communities.
Namibia Rare Earths became the next company to adopt the program, rolling it out in the Khorixas area where it operates. In accepting the award, , “Bannerman is delighted to be recognized for the Early Learner Assistance Program through winning one of the world’s most prestigious ESG awards, but we are far more grateful for the positive direct impact the program has had on the lives of learners and their families in Namibia,” Bannerman CEO Brandon Munro said when accepting the award.
Managing Director of Bannerman Namibian, Werner Ewald, added, “Our employees have remained enthusiastically committed to the ELA Program. To date, over 3,300 learners have benefited from the program across six regions of Namibia and plans are underway to grow this number by more than 300 children this year.”
Laurie Clark, founder of Onyen Corporation, who presented the Community Engagement award to Bannerman, praised the company’s “phenomenal work” in developing a scalable and open source project supported by a wide range of stakeholders.
Bannerman Energy is an Australian listed uranium development company , developing its flagship Etango Project in Namibia.
