International Business / The Pacific

Ashanti Goldfields Co. Debuts on Big Board: The gold mining company, which takes its name from the historically rich kingdom of West Africa, became the first African operating company to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Accra, Ghana-based Ashanti is 40%-owned by London-based Lonrho, 20% by the Ghanaian government and the rest by shareholders. The joint venture will offer 24 million of its 86.9 million shares available worldwide, an NYSE spokesman said. Ashanti ended its fiscal year on Sept. 30 with earnings of $105.8 million, down 5% from a year ago, on revenue of $387.7 million, up 21%.