Our Approach to Community Development

Our approach to stakeholder engagement can be summed up in a single concept, corporate citizenship, and it is with this mindset that we approach community development. With a focus on sustainable investments, developed and implemented in close collaboration with our host communities, Ambatovy endeavors to leave a lasting positive legacy for local communities, which is why helping to catalyze the development of sustainable communities is so important to us. Our goal is to establish longstanding relationships with our communities in order to improve their economic and social living conditions while also supporting the United Nation’s SDGs and living our commitment to being a champion of responsible sourcing.

Our Communities and Social Relations program focuses primarily on livelihoods development, the implementation of projects supported through the Social Investment Fund (SIF), community health and safety, work with resettled families, community engagement and cultural heritage. In order to ensure that our projects are truly sustainable, we collaborate very closely with the Government and local leaders, NGOs, associations and community members for all of our program initiatives.

Livelihoods Development

The Livelihoods Development component of our work reflects Ambatovy’s commitment to improving the living conditions of communities, specifically those surrounding our operations areas. This program aims to enhance food security as well as to ensure and increase their sources of income. Ambatovy supports livelihoods development through capacity building, organizational support, the provision of agricultural inputs, and opportunities to network and gain access to markets. Recent work with farmers around our tailings facility, Mine site and pipeline, have provided opportunities for farmers to sell their produce to local purchasing centers that provide our onsite catering company with fruits and vegetables to feed our employees. This is an excellent support initiative that provides much needed income as the country is struggling with the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Engagement

Every day, a robust stakeholder engagement program takes place at the community level with our dedicated CSR teams. We believe that ongoing dialogue through several channels, in both formal and informal settings, with community members, local leaders and the general public is important for building mutual understanding, managing expectations, and earning and maintaining our social license.

An important aspect of engaging with our stakeholders and building social license is listening and responding to community concerns. Our ongoing community relations activities are designed to capture and resolve most of these issues before they escalate, but for those issues that do, the Ambatovy grievance management system is in place to ensure any grievances are not left unaddressed.

Donations & Sponsorships

As a full member of our local communities, we consider it natural to support local development initiatives whenever we are able. Student organizations, sports teams, youth development associations, and other civil society groups working in the areas of health, education, hygiene and sanitation have been supported by Ambatovy through various donations and sponsorships.

Our latest news regarding donations and sponsorship: