Newmont’s Evelyn Ofori-Atta, a Senior Plant Metallurgist with the company’s Ahafo South mine in the Ahafo Region has been recognised as the Female Mining Professional of the Year (Technical Division) at the 10th Ghana Mining Industry Awards, organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
The technical category of the female mining professional of the year award focuses on females working in mining exploration, processing, environmental management, mine maintenance, mining operations, mine and process engineering, geology, and metallurgy.
The exceptional performance of Evelyn and two other female colleagues from Newmont were recognised at the ceremony held on Friday, 22nd November, 2024. Natalia Poku-Boansi, Regional Systems and Services Manager and Eva Owusu, the HR Superintendent for Projects, were both recognized as first runner-up and second runner-up in the non-technical category (mine support functions) for the Female Professional of the Year award.
As the first Ghanaian female senior metallurgist at Newmont’s operations in Africa, Evelyn has demonstrated exceptional leadership and technical expertise. She was recognised for her instrumental role in overseeing the development and management of programmes designed to optimize metallurgical processes, including the strategic management of mill liners, screen panels, and cyclone spares.
Evelyn leads a team to manage carbon-in-leach and elution circuits, overseeing the tailings storage facilities and controlling reagent management. Her citation also highlighted her mentorship programme for several female colleagues, including supporting the training of three Metallurgists who assumed higher responsibilities within two years of joining the team.
Evelyn is an alumnus of the prestigious Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering form the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. She joined Newmont’s Ahafo South Mine in 2020 as a Metallurgist and rose through the ranks to become the Senior Plant Metallurgist.
Evelyn is a member of the Women in Mining Ghana and the West Africa Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum (WAIMM).
Championing women empowerment and inclusion in mining
Newmont’s laser-focus on advancing inclusion, diversity and equity in the mining industry paid off once again as the company’s Ahafo South mine was adjudged the Best Performer in Diversity and Inclusion as the Akyem mine emerged as the first runner-up. This was reminiscent of last year’s performance in the category where Akyem mine won the category and Ahafo South emerged first runner-up.
Newmont’s value of inclusion drives its strategy on inclusion, diversity and equity, which emphasises the creation of an inclusive environment where diverse employees, business partners and host community members can develop and work together collaboratively. These include challenging unconscious biases and actions that adversely impact decisions in selecting talents for the business.
As the company looks ahead to 2025, it remains committed to driving sustainable development and breaking barriers for women in the mining industry.
