The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has defended government’s decision to allow operations to continue at the Damang Mine despite the absence of parliamentary ratification for its new management arrangement.
The mine is currently being operated by Engineers and Planners after taking over operations following the expiration of the lease previously held by Gold Fields. Government declined to extend the former lease, with Engineers and Planners reportedly winning the bid process with over 90 percent.
Related Stories
Speaking in an interview, Buah disclosed that government is preparing to send several pending mining agreements to Parliament for ratification, including the Damang arrangement.
We are very shortly going to go into Parliament with a lot of ratification, not only with Damang Mine, but a lot of other outstanding ratification,” the Minister said. “We have already engaged the leadership of Parliament on giving them a list of ratification that we intend to send to Parliament.”
Responding to concerns about the legality of operating the mine before parliamentary approval, the Minister said government could not allow operations to halt because of the potential economic and social impact on workers and surrounding communities.
We couldn’t let the mine not operate with thousands of jobs at stake, with communities whose economy is depending on this mine,” he stated. “So it is a practice in the industry that even as we work on those ratifications, we, by the power vested in the authority of the Minerals Commission, can make sure that the benefits of the people of Ghana is passed on.”
The Minister’s explanation comes amid growing public scrutiny over the transition arrangement at Damang, with many Ghanaians raising questions over the terms of the takeover and the future direction of the mine.
Among the concerns being raised are the acquisition cost of the mine, government’s equity stake in the new arrangement, the duration of the lease, and whether the agreement has officially been laid before Parliament for ratification.
Stakeholders are also seeking clarity on the mine’s development plan and how the new operators intend to distinguish their management approach from that of Gold Fields.
The Damang Mine has long been one of Ghana’s major gold-producing operations and remains a critical source of employment and economic activity within the Western Region.
