Corporate and Social Responsibility

African Eagle works closely with the communities in which it operates and understands that creating and preserving good relationship with these communities is essential to the success of any mining development project.

In Tanzania, African Eagle had been undertaking a full Environmental and Social Assessment of the Dutwa Project as part of the Bankable Feasibility Study.  The ESIA is being conducted to international best practice standards. The assessment is being used to identify and engage with stakeholders in the project, to assess opportunities for local employment and to identify areas where African Eagle can make a direct contribution to the sustainable development of its local community. Company commitments are clearly presented in the Environmental and Social Action Plan for the Dutwa Project.

Through its CSR Policy, African Eagle is committed to:

• Providing opportunity for employment for people from local communities and using local suppliers wherever possible;
• Adhering to best international practice in relation to social conduct, environment, health and safety issues;
• Continuing to identify ways that our operations can benefit our host communities;
• Ensuring a long-term contribution to the sustainable development of local communities through a prioritised social investment programme; and
• Being a good and responsible corporate citizen promoting sustainable development.

 At the Dutwa Project we have a Communities Team dedicated to local engagement and managing social issues and risks throughout the development process in collaboration with our host communities (or similar).

CSR Commitments

African Eagle believes that strong management of CSR is essential for the successful business performance. We will carry out all our operations in compliance with national and international standards. We intend to comply with the best international practices under the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the 10 Principles of the Sustainable Development Framework of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). We believe it is important not just to achieve these standards, but also to learn from these international initiatives and continuously improve our CSR performance.

• Through our comprehensive environmental management system we strive to operate to the highest standards of environmental performance including protecting sensitive areas, managing water resources and minimising emissions. We have commissioned world class independent experts to carry out the Dutwa ESIA to international standards. We will monitor our environmental and social performance so that we continue to identify and manage priorities, and will report openly on our performance against measureable performance indicators.
• Our exploration and development work at Dutwa is performed sensitively to ensure that we minimise the footprint of our impact, and we consult with communities before and during our activities.   In the Miyabi Project area we are actively supporting a local initiative to protect a 300 hectare wooded nature reserve.
• We aim to share prosperity by offering the opportunity to hire employees from local communities and strengthening local capacity through training. We are working towards full compliance with relevant International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention. This includes initiatives such as developing worker accommodation at Dutwa which meets international standards. We fully support the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and respect human rights in accordance with the UN's Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.
• We recognise the important role the Dutwa Project can play as a catalyst for economic development in the area,  We are working closely with international experts RBS to review the capacity of Tanzanian training institutions to deliver technical training in areas of mining, metallurgy and engineering.  Based on the findings of this review, African Eagle is currently reviewing how to support skills enhancement and readiness in the area around the Dutwa mine to ensure that local communities are able to benefit from the project on an enduring basis.
• Throughout the planning and development phases we will undertake thorough community dialogue and engagement and make social investments aligned with the development priorities of our host communities, such as education, health, and social infrastructure projects. We are investigating potential non-governmental and government partnerships for funding and implementation to maximise our contribution to social investments. We have supported local initiatives in education, health and combating disadvantage and poverty. Recently, we assisted with the acquisition of desks for 300 students to three primary schools near Dutwa. We continue to support the Forever Angels Baby Orphanage in Mwanza with manpower and supplies, and most recently a water filter system. We are also sponsoring a Masters student in public health to research the effects of mercury and arsenic poisoning on artisanal miners.
• We take the health and safety of all persons on our premises and sites seriously; whether they are employees, contractors or visitors.  We have a comprehensive Healthy, Safety and Security Policy with supporting codes of practise.  We carry out risk assessments for all our activities, and implement measures to ensure that risks are as lows as reasonably practicable.  We train all our people to work in a safe and responsible manner, including First Aid and other health and safety training to all employees.  As part of our continuous improvement objectives we are monitoring and reporting health and safety performance, supported as required by a programme of corrective actions.