Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has called for calm in the ongoing public debate surrounding the Damang mining concession, insisting that the issue should not be politicised.

According to him, discussions on the matter have overlooked important historical details, including what he described as an earlier indication of “no objection” granted under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

“I think that the brother of a president getting a mining concession should not be something for which we should be overly political about, especially when there’s evidence to show that even under the NPP administration, before this administration took over, this same person was given a no objection by the government to acquire the same concession,” he said.

Speaking at a leadership media briefing on Friday, May 22, 2026, Mr Ayariga explained that the original concession holder had expressed its intention to exit the mine and sought approval for a preferred local operator to take over operations.

“The mining company wanted to exit and asked the sitting government for no objection because they thought this was the best person to take over the concession when we leave, because this is the person who has been mining it for us anyway,” he added.

He stated that the company later reconsidered its decision following the rise in global gold prices, but the government maintained its earlier position based on prior commitments.

“When the NDC took over, and the world market price for gold started shooting up, the same mining company came back and said, ‘No, we want to keep the mine.’ And the government said no, we’ve already been given an indication that you wanted to leave,” he said.

Mr Ayariga further argued that Ghana should prioritise empowering capable local investors to own and operate mining assets in order to retain more value within the country.

“And where we are, we also have our own nationals who have the capacity to start owning these mines. When you make money, you take it to your country. When that person makes money, he will keep it in our country,” he stated.

He stressed that the decision-making process should be assessed within its full context rather than through partisan considerations, adding that fairness must prevail regardless of political or family affiliations.