In a moderate but momentous ceremony held in the Panguma Court Barray on Thursday 7 February 2008, the Tongo Diamond Field Project Manager of Koidu Holdings, Dino Coutinho, presented a cheque of 30 million Leones on behalf of the Company to the Chiefdom Mining Committee for onward presentation to Paramount Chief Alimamy Farma V of the Lower Bambara Chiefdom and Honourable Member of Parliament for ward 14, Francis Konowa, for the commencement of rehabilitation work on the old NDMC hospital in Tongo. The 30 million Leones is the first installment of a 105 million Leone sum the Company has pledged to disburse to the chiefdom for the rehabilitation of the Tongo Hospital. Indeed, the arrival of the Koidu Holdings delegation in Panguma on that blistering afternoon will remain indelible on the minds of indigenes of that Chiefdom for a very long time, for it has come to represent the symbol of the change and development they have been dreaming of ever since the war ended. The presentation ceremony was organized to coincide with the chiefdom committee meeting. Thus, lodged at the top of the day's agenda was the innocent looking and rather incongruous item featuring Koidu Holdings SA. The excitement of the people to hear the message from Koidu Holdings was written all over their faces. After a brief opening statement, the Paramount Chief wasted no time in throwing the conch to Koidu Holdings to explain the purpose of their visit. The leader of the Koidu Holdings delegation, Dino Coutinho, registered the Company's gratitude for the hospitality of the people of the Lower Bambara Chiefdom generally. He informed the gathering that his statement was going to be dual pronged; what the company has done so far and its plans for the future. In the first part of his presentation, he noted that in the past, there have been pleas for medical facilities in Tongo. This plea, he said, has reached the ears of Koidu Holdings and therefore the Company has decided to present the chiefdom the sum of 105 million Leones to kick start the rehabilitation of the old NDMC hospital. The money he said represents an earlier commitment between the Company and the Chiefdom Community Relations Committee that it will give $5,000 to the chiefdom on a monthly basis. According to him, it was agreed that this sum will only be given to the chiefdom through the funding of development projects. He intimated that the participation of the company in the implementation of the project will take the form of collaboration with the chiefdom and CEMMATS, with the Company monitoring the progress of the project. Mr. Coutinho assured the people of Lower Bambara that the company is committed to development in the chiefdom. It could be recalled that before the war, the NDMC ran what could pass for an ultra-modern four ward hospital in Tongo. The hospital had all the basic components of a modern hospital; Mortuary, Children's Ward, Under Five Clinic, Medical Store, X-ray Department, and Operations Theatre. However, during the war, it was completely vandalized. The hospital was stripped of every thing that once made it one of the very best medical facilities in the country. Today, what is left of it is a shadow of its former self. Since 2005, the structure has been occupied by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School Bomie. Therefore, in the place of wards, you will find class rooms, and in the place of a medical store, you will find bedrooms. The building has been put into uses completely different from what it was originally built for, which is why the company has decided to collaborate with the people of Lower Bambara to once again revitalize. In part two of his presentation, the Project Manager explained that in April of 2007, Koidu Holdings completed a bulk sampling of both the Kundu and Lando dykes. "As difficult as the process was, we were able to complete it successfully," he submitted. The indications from the result, he said, were encouraging, which is why they want to move to phase two of the process. "In the second phase we are going to embark on core drilling to further validate the results of earlier exploration and at the same time to help us determine the method of mining to employ," he informed the local authorities. He, however, stated that the Company is still operating with an exploration license and that the Company is busy finalizing the application for a mining lease, as he said: "We need to secure a mining license agreement from government before we could commence development of an operational mine." Whilst waiting, he said "we will carry on with plans to start core drilling of Peyima, as well as the four dyke zones in the concession area. This might be followed by a further bulk sample programme." He concluded by pointing out that the company is already in consultations with CEMATTS for the conduct of a complete EIA in the communities that are likely to be affected by the operations.
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