The Minerals Commission has dismissed allegations of favouritism in the awarding of the Damang mining lease to indigenous mining firm Engineers and Planners Limited (E&P).

The announcement follows confirmation by the government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, that Engineers and Planners Ltd (E&P) is the successful bidder for the Damang Mining Lease after a competitive tender process overseen by the Minerals Commission.

The Ministry received the Tender Committee’s report on April 7, 2026.

Although the lease award has sparked some public debate, with some stakeholders questioning the fairness of the selection process, the Minerals Commission maintains that due process was followed at every stage.

Government selects E&P as successful bidder for Damang Mine

According to the Acting Director of Legal Affairs at the Minerals Commission, Josef Iroko, the outcome was based solely on merit and adherence to regulatory guidelines.

He explained that a total of four companies submitted bids for the Damang lease under a competitive tender process open to qualified entities.

Josef Iroko noted that after a thorough evaluation, Engineers and Planners Limited (E&P) emerged as the only bidder that satisfied all technical, financial, and regulatory requirements outlined in the tender documentation.

He also emphasised the impartiality of the process, stating, “The committee went into this work without regard to anybody’s last name, that is the first thing I want to raise. Then secondly, the committee was guided by the Tender Notice Guidelines published by the minister as per regulation 258 of the Minerals and Mining Licensing Regulation 2012, L.I 217.

“So the process has been outlined in the regulations. So the minister published the notice and then told the whole world as to the criteria that any bidder must meet,” he clarified.

The Minerals Commission Director also mentioned that the evaluation process involved a detailed assessment of each submission against clearly defined benchmarks, including financial capability, technical expertise, operational plans, and compliance with Ghana’s mining regulations.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has approved the recommendation of E&P and directed the Commission to take all necessary regulatory steps to implement the award.

In its report, the Tender Committee stated that E&P’s bid, "satisfied all mandatory requirements set out in the Notice and provided documentary evidence of access to financing, meeting the USD 500 million minimum threshold. The tender documentation indicates that the Company possesses experience and knowledge relevant to the operations, infrastructure, and geology of the Damang Mine and submitted proposals for the development of same, including measures intended to extend the life of the mine beyond ten (10) years.

Engineers & Planners emerge top bidder for Damang Mine - Tender Committee

On the basis of the applicable evaluation criteria and scoring, the tender submitted by Engineers and Planners Ltd attained the highest evaluated score.

In summary, the local company demonstrated the highest capability to operate the Damang mine, substantiated by their submission of the most viable tender.

Background

A total of four companies submitted tenders by the March 31, 2026 deadline. All submissions were evaluated based on the guidelines issued by the Minister in accordance with Regulation 258(4) of LI 2176.

The companies were:

• Vortex Resources Mining Group

• Engineers and Planners Ltd

• Heath Goldfields Ltd

• Maripoma Mining Services Ltd

After verification, only E&P and Heath Goldfields Ltd met the mandatory requirements, while Vortex Resources and Maripoma were disqualified for failing to submit the required documentation.

Following the technical evaluation, Heath Goldfields Ltd failed to achieve the minimum qualifying score of 80 percent, and its financial proposal was not considered, in accordance with the tender guidelines.

See the full statement below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. pic.twitter.com/6Mb17B6QKo

— Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (@ArmahKofiBuah) April 7, 2026