Golden Star Oil Palm Plantation (GSOPP), an alternative livelihood project of Golden Star resources, now a member of the Chifeng Gold Group has chalked a remarkable feat by completing processes, trainings and audits for its smallholder farmers to become certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm oil (RSPO).
This highly desired accreditation, the second of its kind in Africa and the first of its kind in Ghana, signifies that GSOPP smallholder farmers are equipped with best management practises to increase their yields and cultivate oil palm in accordance with internationally recognised standards.
Through the use of international standards and multi-stakeholder governance, the RSPO was created to encourage the production and use of sustainable palm oil products.
GSOPP achieved this milestone with support from Solidaridad and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
These organisations took GSOPP farmers through trainings to broaden their scope on oil palm best management practices, sustainable group management, business planning, environmental protection, safe working relationships and continuous improvement.
Commenting on the certification Mr Shaddrack Adjetey Sowah, VP and Managing Director of Golden Star Wassa Ltd explained “we are extremely proud of the GSOPP team for committing to the rigorous requirements of RSPO to gain this certification. As we have indicated since the acquisition of Golden Star in January 2022, ESG is our focus, and certification such as this prove our commitment to the business, our communities and our stakeholders”