ACACIA RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING LOCAL TANZANIANS IN THE MINING SECTOR

CEO Brad Gordon addresses the first graduates of the Rainbow Leadership Development Program on a graduation ceremony which took place on Tuesday, 13th at the Serena Hotel Dar es Salaam. The program empowers graduates to lead their teams effectively and assist the company to achieve its vision.

Mark Morcombe presents certificate to one of the graduates.

CEO Brad Gordon presents certificate to one of the graduates.

Group photo of the Acacia Management team with the first 41 graduates from the Rainbow Leadership Development Program.
—
• Acacia celebrates its first 41 graduates from the Rainbow Leadership Development Program.

• The program empowers graduates to lead their teams effectively and assist the company to achieve its vision. .

Acacia’s vision is to become the best mining company in Africa. This vision is supported by three main pillars which are, relationships, people and the business.

The Rainbow leadership Development Program is an in-house training program that was developed by Management and aimed at providing first line leaders with skills required to drive the strategy developed to achieve the vision. Why the first line leader? This is the first level of management and more importantly, a level that directly leads the teams responsible for producing gold. This proximity gives the first line leader the unique opportunity to influence the culture and performance of the most important function in the organization.

To strengthen the three strategic pillars, the first line leader is required to demonstrate a supportive culture and leadership as well as ensure the wellbeing of those under his/her leadership. With such a significant responsibility placed on the FLL’s shoulders, the Rainbow leadership development program was developed using internal and external resources and modeled on key workplace challenges. The skills obtained in this program are expected to provide the FLL with the requisite competence and confidence to shoulder this great responsibility..

Recently 41 first line leaders graduated from the program and the ceremony was held on Tuesday 13th september2016 at the Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam. The event was attended by the Executive leadership Team (ELT), GMs, site and Dar office representatives.

During the function, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brad Gordon said “one of our desired behaviors is to develop people to be their best. This not only benefits Acacia, but also the families and the communities in which they live. There is no way people can excel without passion. We empower people to be pioneers and to strive for excellence.. Graduating from the Rainbow Leadership Development program is a sign of progresses towards becoming a leader in Africa.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mark Morcombe recognised graduates as a resource that will contribute to the overall development of the country.

The COO handed the certificates to the graduates while the CEO personally assisted the graduates to don official Acacia Rainbow leadership development program blazers.

The Vice President Corporate Affairs – Deo Mwanyika said “This is a significant milestone for us. Acacia has special programs that empower Tanzanians to excel in their careers. This program has provided you with the skill to be confident leaders. In Acacia we believe every one is a leader, however, a leader needs to receive special training to become exemplary leaders.”

Janet Reuben, General Manager Organization Effectiveness added; “We are expecting to get great leaders from this program,Tanzanian leaders that will take the company to the next level by cultivating a culture of hard work, discipline and ethics. They will also inspire others to aim higher”

In his remarks Mashaka, a graduate from the program acknowledged the importance of the program and how it has empowered him to take care of the wellbeing of his team. In addition, he stated that he also felt empowered to stop unsafe work. In addition he now felt able to hold team members accountable and also reward them appropriately within the limits of his authority. He ended by stating that the program has allowed him to be an active team member by being able to appropriately debate question and review matters related to work.

The program is planned to continue into the next year until all first line leaders and employees with the potential for the role have been through the program. Added Dr. Zumbi – Chief Advisor OHS

The programme has 8 modules, which are; understanding the work of the role,, assigning tasks and communicating effectively, leading teams effectively, disciplinary and grievance codes and ensuring well-being in the work place. Others are managing interpersonal relationships, using OE systems, managing culture and building trust. The program is designed to be delivered through a series of classroom lectures, examinations and workplace assignments over a six month period

The name rainbow is borrowed from western mythology where a legendary fairy (leprechaun), hides a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. This is in line with Acacia’s core business. Although the rainbow has only seven colors, the company added an eight one, gold, also signifying the end product. (P.T)