Accra: The Minority in Parliament has announced that a future New Patriotic Party (NPP) government will undertake a thorough review of mining sector transactions made under the current administration. It plans to reverse any agreements that are considered questionable or detrimental to the national interest, especially those that benefit businessman Ibrahim Mahama, the brother of President John Dramani Mahama.
According to Ghana Web, this declaration was made in a press release issued on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, signed by Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the MP for Mampong and Ranking Member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee of Parliament. The Minority Caucus accused the administration of facilitating "state capture" in the mineral sector, with Ibrahim Mahama and his company, Engineers and Planners, playing a central role in asset acquisitions and exercising institutional influence.
The statement highlighted developments such as the state takeover and transition of the Damang Gold Mine from Gold Fields Ghana in April 2026, following the non-renewal of the lease and a one-year extension. It also mentioned the acquisition of the Black Volta and Sankofa Gold Projects by Engineers and Planners in September 2025 from Australian-linked firms Azumah Resources Ghana Ltd and Upwest Resources, as well as a lack of transparency in lease and allocation decisions at the Nyinahin bauxite deposits under the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC).
The Minority alleged that these transactions involved pressure, intimidation, and coercive leverage rather than open commercial processes, citing significant financing such as a reported US$100 million from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, where Ghana's Finance Minister chairs the Board of Governors.
Concerns were also raised about key appointments in sector institutions, such as GIADEC's Chairman and CEO, who have prior legal ties to Ibrahim Mahama and Engineers and Planners. Officials at the Minerals Commission, Ghana Gold Board, and Minerals Income Investment Fund reportedly have consulting or employment links to Mahama's entities. The Minority sees this as evidence of institutional convergence around Ibrahim Mahama's influence instead of accountability to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources or Parliament.
While supporting genuine local content and Ghanaian participation in mining, the Minority rejected what it described as Family Monopoly and State Capture. It argued that the concentration of major engagements around one individual, enabled by proximity to presidential power, undermines fairness and disguises selective empowerment as broad-based participation.
The release warned that such opacity and influence are damaging Ghana's reputation as a predictable investment destination. It cited a recent drop of seven places-from 46th to 53rd-in the Global Mining Investment Attractiveness Index amid governance and transparency concerns.
In its demands, the Minority called for immediate disclosure on the incoming Damang operator, selection criteria, financing, transition plans, and team details including conflicts of interest. It also demanded clarity on Nyinahin bauxite decisions, full transparency on Black Volta and Sankofa transactions and related financing, and enforceable conflict-of-interest safeguards across mineral sector institutions.
The Minority vowed to resist the emerging state capture firmly and lawfully. It promised that any future NPP government would launch a full-scale review of these transactions, enforce accountability under the law, and decisively reverse any arrangement that undermines the national interest or concentrates Ghana's natural resources in the hands of a privileged few and the president's family. Those responsible, both perpetrators and beneficiaries, will face the full force of the law, as Ghana's mineral wealth belongs to the people, not to any family, the statement emphasized.