Ghana’s parliamentary opposition is calling for an urgent ministerial briefing on a high-stakes dispute between Engineers and Planners (E&P), a mining and construction firm founded by the brother of President John Dramani Mahama, and Australian-backed Azumah Resources Ghana Ltd., warning that the conflict is damaging investor confidence and undermining Ghana’s mining regulatory credibility.
In a sharply worded statement issued Wednesday, the Minority Caucus in Parliament said the escalating legal and political battle over the Black Volta gold concession in the Upper West Region had “frozen activity at one of the country’s most promising gold deposits,” just as Ghana is seeking to restructure its debt and attract foreign investment.
The opposition also raised concerns over the perception of political interference, given that E&P was founded by Ibrahim Mahama, the president’s younger brother and one of Ghana’s most prominent businessmen.
“No discussion of this matter is complete without addressing the elephant in the room—the perception that E&P may be exercising undue political influence due to the Founder’s proximity to the political establishment,” the statement said. It called for the issue to be “properly and effectively managed” in the national interest.
The dispute centers on control of the Black Volta concession, a potentially lucrative gold asset. Public debate, legal wrangling, and reports of arbitration proceedings have drawn national attention and unsettled stakeholders in Ghana’s mining sector.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has reportedly initiated talks with both parties and is working to establish a mediation committee. But the Minority questioned the ministry’s handling of the process.
“If the Ministry has indeed engaged both Azumah and E&P in a bid to establish a mediation committee, then what occasioned the loud controversies that have gripped the nation’s attention in the last week?” the statement queried.
Compounding the situation is the involvement of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), which is reportedly providing financial backing to E&P. The Minority warned that the bank’s entanglement in the “murky controversy” threatens to further erode investor trust in Ghana’s regulatory and legal frameworks.
“The spectacle of dueling concessionaires, litigation upon litigation, and now international arbitration undermines investor trust in Ghana’s legal and regulatory systems,” the statement read.
The Caucus is demanding that Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah appear before Parliament immediately to provide a detailed briefing. Failing that, lawmakers may invoke Article 103 of the Constitution to initiate a formal inquiry through the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs.
The dispute comes at a sensitive time for Ghana, which is seeking to rebuild macroeconomic stability and strengthen investor confidence following years of fiscal stress and currency depreciation. Mining remains a key pillar of the country’s economy, accounting for nearly half of its export revenues.
