La Loma, November 3, 2020
With the purpose of diminishing poverty and improving the quality of life of the people of Chiriguana and La Jagua de Ibirico, Cesar, Drummond Ltd. shared information about the High Impact Projects decided on in consensus with the municipality of Chiriguana, under the Addendum to the La Loma exploration and mining contract signed with the National Mining Agency. A day of dialogue was organized on October 28 with representatives from the Mayor’s Office, the community and the companies and, in general, with active elements of civil society in this municipality.
The session provided information about the results of the process to identify, evaluate, agree on, and structure the High Impact Projects and to certify professionals in the municipal administrations in the formulation of development projects using the General Adjusted Methodology (MGA for the Spanish).
In alliance with the University of Santander (UDES) – Valledupar campus – knowledge was transferred to officials from the Chiriguana and La Jagua de Ibirico mayors’ offices to help them formulate the pre-feasibility phase of the projects to be executed over the next five years. The next step is the development of detailed studies and designs to take the projects to the feasibility phase.
“On Wednesday, October 28th, we held a meeting to share information about the new housing construction project with the entire community in Chiriguana. This important step has been taken thanks to the interest of Drummond and the National Government – through the ANM. It is a blessing we will take full advantage of. The training provided by UDES was also very important because it trained the team at the Planning Office. It’s a transfer of knowledge not just for the project already underway, but that also extends to other types of initiatives the municipal administration has been managing,” said the Mayor of Chiriguana, Carlos Caamaño.
The meeting also launched the book “Methodological Guide for Formulating High Impact projects” produced by the UDES during this accompaniment.
In this regard, Drummond’s Vice President of Sustainability, Juan Pablo Arteaga, stated “through this educational strategy, we were able not only to identify, formulate and reach a consensus on high-impact projects under the terms agreed on with the National Mining Agency, but we were also able to increase local capacities. This will make it possible to structure many other local development projects to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in our communities.”
Regarding the certification course, Gina Garcia, Coordinator of the Program and Project Bank at the Chiriguana Planning Office in Cesar, said, “This was an excellent process, where we were able to reinforce the stages of the logical framework, identify needs in the municipality, and establish the most relevant sectors. This will help us target resources in a way that will have an impact on the lives of the people of Chiriguana and meet the Sustainable Development Goals. This is very important knowledge for us as public servants to put into practice for future projects, improving the quality of the documents we submit, and establishing clear goals and indicators.”