Africa Policy Lens (APL), a policy think tank, has filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with the Minerals Commission, seeking full disclosure on the tender process and award of the Damang Gold Mine to Engineers & Planners.

The 18-point request, dated July 16, 2026 and signed by Dr Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa, Director of Research, Administration & Partnerships at APL, was also copied to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.

Details of APL's request

The RTI request seeks records covering the entire process from the initial application to the final lease agreement. Key areas of focus of the request are as followsinclude:

Tender Process and Evaluation

APL is requesting copies of the application for the mine, the Minerals Commission’s response, and all valuation, financial, technical, and economic advisory reports commissioned before the March 24, 2026 public tender announcement.

The organization also wants timelines for when bids were received, shortlisted, and forwarded to the Tender Committee, as well as the committee’s composition, minutes, and reasons why other bids were rejected.

Transition and Management Report

APL also asked for a consolidated transition report covering the period April 18, 2025 to April 17, 2026. This, APL requested, should include production and sales data, asset and liability reports, workforce transition, and mine reserves status for the Abosso Goldfields Mine, also known as Damang Mine.

Award to Engineers & Planners

The request also seeks a copy of the recommendation letter sent to the Minister to grant the mineral right to Engineers & Planners, and also details of the financial institutions that provided guarantees for the successful bidder and whether the Minerals Commission independently verified them.

Additionally, APL is asking if further due diligence was done on E&P’s capacity to raise funds and manage the mine.

Terms of the Mining lease

Additionally, APL is requesting full details of the mining lease agreement, including: commencement date, lease term, free carried interest for the state, royalty rate, corporate tax rate, grounds for termination, and arbitration provisions.

The policy think tank also asked whether the agreement allows government to take an equity stake at any time, and how transfer pricing will be handled given that Engineers & Planners is also a Contract Mining Service Provider.

The Damang Mine is described by experts as one of Ghana’s strategic gold assets, and with government’s renewed focus on local participation in mining, APL says transparency in how the asset was awarded and on what terms is critical to public accountability.

“I count on your cooperation in this matter,” Dr. Ayerakwa stated in the letter addressed to the Minerals Commission.