Local Business Initiatives at Ambatovy
Ambatovy is committed to maximizing economic returns to our local communities. We have implemented a range of programs and have made support tools available to local businesses and entrepreneurs so they can provide Ambatovy with goods and services that meet our standards for procurement and quality. The Ambatovy Local Business Initiative (ALBI) was created during construction to support our commitment to buy locally. In 2018, the amount spent for purchases from local businesses was $327.5 million. Every year, the program, through increased capacity building and identification of new local supplier options, increases the project’s local spending.
Examples of locally sourced materials include pallets used for shipping nickel and cobalt as well as uniforms distributed to our employees. The exact number of jobs created to indirectly support Ambatovy’s procurement needs is difficult to calculate – however, we know that almost 500 jobs were created to build wood pallets, manufacture uniforms, and recycle plastic, tires and wood.
Ambatovy developed an Agricultural and Livelihood program to support 240 local subsistence farmers in procuring goods for Ambatovy’s sites and for the wider market with partner support. Examples include fish farming, beekeeping, poultry farming, and a community granary.
Ambatovy has also been focusing on a hyper-local recruitment strategy in the areas immediately adjacent to the mine site, to allow for unskilled labourers to gain work experience and to strengthen company-community relations. This is in parallel with Ambatovy’s overall recruitment strategy which has resulted in 93% Malagasy employees.