The Minority Caucus in Parliament has rejected the approval of six mining leases, including two leases involving Damang Mining belonging to Engineers and Planners, describing the process as a “defective rubber stamp” exercise.
Addressing the media, the Ranking Member of the Lands and Natural Resources Committee and Member of Parliament for Mampong, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, said the Minority supports responsible mining, investment and increased participation of indigenous Ghanaian companies in the sector.
However, he said the caucus would resist any attempt to undermine constitutional safeguards governing the exploitation of Ghana’s mineral resources.
“The resources beneath our soil do not belong to today’s government. They do not belong to any minister. They do not belong to any political party. And they do not belong to any mining company. They belong to the Republic of Ghana,” he stated.
Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong stressed that although the Executive holds Ghana’s mineral resources in trust on behalf of the people, Parliament has a constitutional responsibility to safeguard that trust through proper scrutiny of mining agreements.
He criticised what he described as a growing practice of treating Parliament as a “conveyor belt” for approving mining leases, regardless of the quality of documentation submitted or unresolved constitutional concerns.
“The Minority rejects the growing tendency to treat Parliament as a conveyor belt for the approval of mining leases, regardless of the quality of the documentation presented or the constitutional questions that remain unanswered,” he said.
According to the Minority, Ghana’s mineral resources must not be managed in a manner that compromises the interests of the state and its citizens.
The comments follow Parliament’s ratification of six mining leases on Wednesday, July 30, 2026, involving companies including Golden Star Wassa Ltd, Maripoma Mining Services Ltd, Persians Mining Ltd and Damang Gold Ltd.
The Minority also issued a warning to mining companies operating in Ghana to comply strictly with the Constitution, the Minerals and Mining Act, and all other regulatory requirements.
“We wish to send a clear message to every mining company operating in Ghana: respect the Constitution and the laws of Ghana. The law of Ghana is not negotiable,” Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong stated.
He accused some mining companies of engaging in practices that appear to disregard constitutional and statutory obligations, including instances where mining activities allegedly commenced before parliamentary ratification and where legal and regulatory gaps had not been addressed.
The Mampong MP said the Minority was documenting all such breaches and would pursue accountability at the appropriate time.
He described Ghana’s mineral wealth as a “sacred trust” belonging to the people and insisted that all stakeholders must protect the country’s natural resources for future generations.
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