IAMGOLD Corporation

04/21/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/21/2021 12:36

Our people: Meet Salamata Kagambega, the first Forewoman in Mill Operations at Essakane

Our people: Meet Salamata Kagambega, the first Forewoman in Mill Operations at Essakane

Promoted to Forewoman at the mill of IAMGOLD Essakane SA on March 24, Salamata Ouedraogo/Kagambega is part of the first group of female operators recruited and trained in collaboration with the National Employment Promotion Agency of Dori (Burkina Faso) and the Occupational Training Centre of Val-d'Or (Canada).

She was recruited in May 2010 as an Operator, Grinding. She became familiar with nearly all operating sectors and climbed the ladder in Mill Operations at Essakane.

After she joined the IAMGOLD Essakane SA family, she received a few months of training in the control room. Thanks to her desire to learn, her versatility, her independence and her commitment to this position, she became Operator, Control Room.

Due to her professionalism and her drive to share her knowledge with others, she was tasked with training the control room operators, which she carried out successfully.

Salamata's devotion and talents meant that she was selected as part of the internal recruitment process, and she became a Senior Operator, Control Room. In this role, she ensured that the circuit ran smoothly and that operating parameters were followed to achieve expected results. She was able to quickly identify anomalies and failures and to report these issues to have them corrected.

Mill Operations holds no secrets for this young worker from Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso. She also held the position of Supervisor, Mill.

Salamata said that the secret of her leadership lies in the skills she learned throughout the various training sessions she completed and the experience she gained in carrying out production activities, in addition to her family's support and her self-confidence. She skillfully and assertively led the mill visit by the national press in 2019.

Salamata is convinced that when women are property trained and in safe conditions, they can fully meet professional expectations. They use the full potential of their capabilities and demonstrate remarkable energy, and they are meticulous, emphasizing prudence in their actions. However, Salamata recognizes that achieving the mill's different objectives requires the involvement of everyone, both women and men.

We wish her the best in her continuing career!