The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly condemned the ratification of six mining lease agreements on 30 July 2026, describing the process as a “rubber-stamp” exercise that undermines the Constitution and Parliament’s oversight role.
In a press statement issued on 31 July 2026 by the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, the Minority expressed “profound disappointment and deep concern” over the manner in which the government and the Majority handled the ratification of the leases.
The agreements cover mining leases granted to Golden Star Wassa Limited at Wassa Akyempem in the Western Region; Maripoma Mining Services Limited at Zongoiri in the Upper East Region; two leases for Perseus Mining Limited at Ayamfuri and Nanankaw-Agyakusu in the Central and Western Regions; and two leases for Damang Gold Mine Limited, a special purpose vehicle for Engineers and Planners Limited, at Damang in the Western Region.
The Minority stressed that its position is not an attack on mining investment or legitimate businesses. “Ghana needs responsible investment, and the Minority remains committed to promoting a competitive, transparent and investor-friendly mining industry,” the statement said. However, it insisted that investment must never come at the expense of the Constitution, due process or Parliament’s constitutional duty.
Citing Article 257(6) of the 1992 Constitution, the Caucus reminded the public that all minerals in their natural state belong to the Republic and are held by the President in trust for the people of Ghana. Parliament, it argued, is not a ceremonial body meant merely to endorse Executive agreements but exists to ensure resources are managed lawfully and in the national interest.
During committee deliberations, Minority members raised several serious defects in the documentation. These included cadastral plans lacking the mandatory signatures of Regional Surveyors, lease documents with signatures but no names of the signatories, the absence of Programmes of Mining Operations from some companies, and, most critically, the omission of the Republic’s statutory 10 per cent free carried interest in several of the leases.
“That interest belongs to the people of Ghana. It is neither optional nor discretionary,” the statement declared.
The Minority was also alarmed that, apart from Maripoma Mining Services Limited, almost all the companies had already begun or continued mining operations before the leases were ratified by Parliament. It described this practice as a violation of Article 268(1) of the Constitution, which makes parliamentary ratification mandatory. Allowing companies to mine first and seek approval later, the Caucus warned, reduces Parliament to a mere rubber stamp.
Particular concern was expressed over the Damang lease. Damang is an established producing mine with proven reserves, infrastructure and a workforce. The operator, Damang Gold Mine Limited, is a company founded by the President’s brother. While the Minority stated that this fact alone does not establish impropriety or disqualify the company, it argued that the connection heightens the need for rigorous scrutiny.
The Caucus said Parliament should have been provided with the Minerals Commission’s Tender Committee Report, the complete lease agreement with all schedules and annexures, details of the financial consideration for the transfer, production and revenue data since the handover, and information on royalties, taxes and payments arising from the State’s free carried interest.
It further suggested that the transaction offered an opportunity to increase the State’s equity from 10 per cent to between 20 and 30 per cent.
The Ranking Member has formally requested these documents from the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
The Minority also criticised the committee process itself. After two days of deliberations during which extensive concerns were raised, a report recommending ratification was laid before Parliament within 24 hours.
The Ranking Member was denied the chance to review the draft report and only received the signed version ten minutes before the debate on the floor. The Speaker, the statement added, further restricted the Minority’s opportunity to fully present its concerns before the House approved the leases.
“Parliamentary committees exist to interrogate, test and improve agreements placed before Parliament, not merely to facilitate their passage,” the Caucus stated.
Reaffirming its support for responsible mining and indigenous Ghanaian participation, the Minority declared that the country’s mineral resources belong neither to the government of the day, any minister, political party nor mining company, but to the Republic of Ghana.
It rejected any tendency to treat Parliament as a “conveyor belt” for the disposal of national mineral wealth and served notice that every procedural breach and constitutional violation will be placed on record for future accountability.
“Ghana deserves a mining sector built on transparency. Ghana deserves a Parliament that scrutinises rather than rubber-stamps. And Ghana deserves a government that remembers that it is merely a trustee, not the owner, of the nation’s mineral wealth,” the statement concluded.
