Abagold WEC BAR - Anchor Environmental

climate change strategy.3. Will the land use / development have any benefits for the local communitieswhere it will be located?4. Explain:The direct benefits associated with the project include the employment opportunities thatwill arise during the construction and operation phase. All efforts will be made to ensurethat much of the construction and manufacturing will be undertaken locally.YESNOCurrently, rising electricity costs are threatening the future of Abagold. One of the indirectbenefits of the proposed project is the continued existence of Abagold and the jobs thatAbagold provides to local people. If the WEC is efficient it will ensure that Abagold remainsfinancially viable. Furthermore the reduced energy costs will allow for the implementationof the Sulamanzi project, a new initiative being implemented by Abagold, which holdssignificant benefits for the local community.There are currently no historically disadvantaged farmers in abalone farming in South Africa.Abagold’s Sulamanzi development was planned around the concept of 15 entrepreneurfarmers. The development consists of 15 identical production units. Each unit will bemanaged by an entrepreneur, selected from Abagold’s existing staff compliment, and will betrained up by Abagold. These entrepreneurs will each run their own farm with Abagoldproviding a “safety net”, technical advice and services, training and back-office functions.Abagold will supply seed to the farms and will process and market the harvested products.Having identical farms means that the entrepreneurs can learn from and comparethemselves to their peers on the other 14 farms. Farmers trained and mentored in this waycan go on to manage bigger farming units or even start their own farms one day.Sulamanzi will consist of 15 farms, identical in size, and will create 200 permanentemployment opportunities by 2016. These opportunities will range from entry level farmworkers to team leaders, farm managers, senior management, administration personneland technical staff. Training is a big focus at Abagold and employees are actively encouragedto further their studies or broaden their knowledge. In addition ,Abagold provides medicalassistance to employees.34