The Minerals Commission has dismissed allegations of favouritism in the awarding of the Damang mining lease to Engineers and Planners Limited (E&P), insisting that the process was transparent, competitive, and in line with established regulations.
The decision has generated public debate, with some stakeholders raising concerns about the fairness of the selection process. However, the Commission maintains that strict procedures were followed at every stage of the tender.
According to Acting Director of Legal Affairs, Josef Iroko, four companies submitted bids for the lease under a competitive process open to qualified entities. After a comprehensive evaluation, Engineers and Planners Limited emerged as the only bidder to meet all technical, financial, and regulatory requirements.
Mr Iroko explained that each submission was assessed based on clearly defined benchmarks, including financial strength, technical capability, operational planning, and compliance with Ghana’s mining laws.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, April 7, he emphasized that the evaluation was conducted impartially.
“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.”
The Commission reiterated that the rigorous process ensured that only the most qualified applicant was selected, rejecting claims of bias in the award.
