Anglo American SEAT process helps effect real socio-economic change in communities

Nov. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- The socio-economic development of communities is increasingly being recognised as a critical factor in the overall strategy of a mining company. Anglo American’s executive director Khanyisile Kweyama elaborates on how the company has tackled this issue by devising and implementing the unique SEAT process.

A mining company’s prosperity is inextricably linked to its ability to create a positive impact beyond the mine’s fence line. It is therefore essential that the building relationships and supporting local communities are factored into a company’s philosophy and business strategy.

However, an organisation can only create real socio-economic changes in the communities surrounding its operations if it undertakes a structured and defined approach to tackling this issue, which results in better accountability for all its stakeholders.

Anglo American has recognised this fact, and has developed a Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox (SEAT) process that has become a benchmark for improving socio-economic performance in the mining sector.

Since launching SEAT in 2003, Anglo American has witnessed positive results in terms of our ability to create a real and meaningful impact on the communities surrounding our operations.

Devising this tool has allowed us to better identify and manage both the positive and negative socio-economic impact of our activities on local stakeholders. Through implementing this process, we have not only been able to identify specific issues and impacts on community or even wider societal transformation, but have also enhanced our capacity to better address them through the development of effective management and monitoring programmes.

Owing to these successes, SEAT reports form the core component of our operations’ Social Management Plans, as they ensure that the issues and impacts raised by stakeholders during the implementation process are set out, as well as the management plans developed to address them.

An essential aspect of this process has been engagement with local stakeholders such as communities, interest groups, NGOs and local government. This is central to the SEAT process, and ultimately influences the design of our community development plans.

In order to maintain the relevance of these reports, we update them every three years, and we are currently on the third phase of our SEAT programme.

In this way, we are able to reflect any changes in the operation and community, and this subsequently allows time for the management measures set out in the previous SEAT report to be implemented and evaluated.

The positive results of the SEAT process have been evident in the investment Anglo American has ploughed back into communities. In 2011, our corporate social investment (CSI) spend in local communities in South Africa totalled R509.1 million ($70.1 million), while our local procurement spend in 2011 with suppliers in communities surrounding our Kumba Iron Ore, Thermal Coal and Platinum operations  totalled R4.4 billion ($616.1million).

Because SEAT has been so successful, and because of significant interest from other companies, Anglo American has made version 3 of SEAT publicly available, visit our website www.angloamerican.com/seat.  

Our support for communities has extended to wider health concerns, as was demonstrated in November 2010, when our chief executive Cynthia Carroll pledged R21.78 million ($3 million) on behalf of Anglo American to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This is an organisation that we have consistently supported since 2002.

In conclusion, the effective implementation of the SEAT process has enabled Anglo American to have better rigour, accountability and measurability to the way in which we engage communities neighbouring our operations.

Ends

For further information, please contact:

South Africa

Hulisani Rasivhaga, Media Relations

Tel: +27 (0)11 638 4401

Notes to editors:

Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Anglo American’s portfolio of mining businesses spans bulk commodities – iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals – copper and nickel; and precious metals and minerals – in which it is a global leader in both platinum and diamonds.  Anglo American is committed to the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all its businesses and geographies and to making a sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations. The company’s mining operations, extensive pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe. www.angloamerican.com