Ghana's Engineers & Planners cleared to sell Damang gold pending parliamentary ratification

Mineral resources governance expert Dr. Steve Manteaw argued that Engineers & Planners (E&P) and its subsidiary Damang Gold Mine Limited have a legal basis to sell gold from the Damang Mine before parliamentary ratification. He cited Section 13 of the Minerals and Mining Act (Act 703), which authorises a holder to enter and exploit land once the Minister grants the mineral right, and noted that neither the 1992 Constitution nor the Act sets a timeframe for parliamentary ratification.

Manteaw said all procedural steps—Minerals Commission recommendation, ministerial notification, applicant acceptance, and Gazette publication—were completed, and that revenues have been retained in Ghana for later reconciliation under the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. He referenced a 2019 parliamentary lawsuit that resulted in subsequent lease ratifications, arguing that applying a different standard to a domestic firm would be inequitable. He recommended amending the Act to impose a ratification deadline, removing bureaucratic delays, and establishing compensation mechanisms for revenue losses caused by strict enforcement.