On Saturday 21 October 2023, 17 couples from the Essakane gold mine got married at Dori town hall. They received a copy of the marriage certificate in the presence of their witnesses, administrative, political and customary authorities, families, friends and colleagues who had come in large numbers to attend the event. The collective marriage ceremony was organised by the mining company Iamgold Essakane SA to enable its employees to regularise their marital status and give them legal certainty.
Abdramane Mandé, Prefect and President of the Special Delegation (Président de la délégation spéciale – PDS) of Dori, united these 17 couples of mine employees in marriage in the presence of William Ouédraogo, Director of Human Resources at Iamgold Essakane SA. Decked out in their finest clothes, the 17 couples said “YES” before the civil registrar, who recorded the union in the marriage register.
Abdramane Mandé, PDS of Dori, gave the 17 newly-weds some advice. He said: “Marriage is much more than a simple formalisation of love; it is much more than the bond between a man and a woman. It is the creation of the elementary and founding cell of a society”. For the PDS of Dori, civil marriage is a provision of the Personal and Family Code of Burkina Faso. “The spouses owe each other affection, fidelity, help and assistance”, he stressed.
Essakane makes employee well-being a priority
The HR Director of Iamgold Essakane SA congratulated the couples on their willingness to seal a legal union. “The celebration of the collective wedding is the culmination of numerous awareness-raising sessions,” said William Ouédraogo. The HR Director reminded the audience that, in addition to the professional development of employees, “the well-being of workers is a priority for the mine, and this activity is part of Iamgold Essakane SA’s social programme”.
The representative of the 17 couples, Brahima Moussa Dicko, was moved to express his gratitude to his employer Iamgold Essakane SA for honouring them by organising this collective wedding.
The social services of Iamgold Essakane’s Human Resources Department spent several months preparing for this wedding ceremony for 17 of its employees, following the one held in Gorom- Gorom in June 2023. The 17 couples were treated to a reception hosted by their employer and photo sessions to immortalise the big day.
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