A high-stakes mining dispute between Engineers & Planners (E&P), the construction firm owned by Ibrahim Mahama, and Azumah Resources, a gold developer backed by global private equity, has exploded into an international legal showdown.

The battle, now before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), has escalated into claims and counterclaims exceeding $100 million.

At the centre of the storm is a terminated agreement tied to the Black Volta gold project in Ghana’s northwest, a site long viewed as a strategic addition to the country’s mining portfolio.

E&P had originally filed a claim in October 2024, accusing Azumah of unlawfully scrapping a 2023 agreement that gave it early-stage development rights and a potential equity stake.

But Azumah hit back hard in December 2024, terminating the agreement and accusing E&P of stalling progress.

The company alleges that E&P failed to raise financing, initiate EPC contracts or begin any significant site work—failures Azumah says delayed the mine’s timeline.

Now, Azumah has launched a blistering $100 million counterclaim, citing breaches of contract, unauthorised contractual activities by E&P agents, and alleged misuse of project funds.

In a press statement, Azumah said it “denies each and every allegation” made by E&P and insists it is now pushing ahead with mine construction on its own.

The legal battle has moved to a London-seated ICC tribunal chaired by top Nigerian advocate Funke Adekoya SAN, alongside Ghana’s Shadrack Arhin and the UK’s Edwin Glasgow KC.

E&P is represented by Robert Smith Law Group in Accra, while Azumah is being advised by international law firm Steptoe in London and Ghanaian heavyweight Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah.

The legal war is unfolding as E&P and its owner, Ibrahim Mahama, pursue a separate defamation lawsuit against policy analyst Bright Simons in Accra, over comments suggesting the firm had been financially strained and was influencing mining policy.

The outcome of the ICC arbitration could reshape not just ownership of the Black Volta gold project, but also the broader narrative around contractual discipline and corporate conduct in Ghana’s extractive sector.