Minority demands urgent briefing on E&P–Azumah Resources mining dispute

The Minority in Parliament is demanding an urgent ministerial briefing on the ongoing dispute between Engineers and Planners (E&P) and Azumah Resources Ghana Limited, warning that the standoff is undermining Ghana’s mineral governance framework and threatening investor confidence.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 16, the Minority Caucus expressed concern over the growing perception of political interference in the matter—a subtle reference to E&P’s founder, Ibrahim Mahama, brother of President John Dramani Mahama.

“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 read.

The Caucus stressed that such concerns must be “properly and effectively managed” in the national interest and in the interest of E&P and its “eminent founder.”

The dispute, centered on the ownership and operational rights of the Black Volta gold concession in the Upper West Region, has intensified in recent weeks. Public debate and legal action have followed, raising questions about transparency and regulatory oversight.

While the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has reportedly held discussions with both parties and is working to form a mediation committee, the Minority raised doubts over the effectiveness of that intervention.

“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.

They noted that the impasse has effectively stalled operations at one of the country’s most promising gold prospects, at a time when Ghana is grappling with economic recovery and seeking new sources of growth.

“This dispute has effectively frozen activity at one of the most promising gold deposits in the Upper West Region. At a time when the country is restructuring its debts, facing fiscal austerity and seeking new domestic growth poles, we cannot afford the paralysis of a major mining asset.”

The Caucus further warned that Ghana’s investment reputation is at stake—particularly given the involvement of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), which is reportedly linked to E&P’s financing.

“The fact that an important sub-regional bank like EBID now finds itself entangled in a murky controversy is doubly disconcerting,” the statement said. “The spectacle of duelling concessionaires, litigation upon litigation, and now international arbitration undermines investor trust in Ghana’s legal and regulatory frameworks.”

Parliament, according to the Minority, will closely monitor the situation and expects the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to address the House immediately.

“We therefore call for an urgent engagement with the sector Minister for a preliminary briefing, which may subsequently lead to an Article 103 inquiry by the Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, into all aspects of the Black Volta mining dispute should the Minister’s answers not provide conclusive closure to all the matters in the ongoing controversy.

“We must restore credibility to our mineral governance system. We must protect Ghana’s international standing. We must uphold the rule of law,” the statement concluded.