The Minority in Parliament has issued a strong warning to government, threatening to initiate legal proceedings over its failure to submit the renewed mining lease agreement for Gold Fields Ghana Limited’s Damang Mine to Parliament for ratification.

This development follows the government’s announcement in April that it had concluded transitional arrangements concerning the Damang Mine, intended to ensure operational continuity, protect existing jobs, and lay the groundwork for eventual Ghanaian ownership of the mine.

According to the new agreement, Gold Fields Ghana Limited is to be granted a 12-month mining lease.

However, the Minority contends that the government’s failure to seek parliamentary approval for the lease constitutes a breach of constitutional and governance protocols, particularly with regard to transparency and accountability in the extractive sector.

Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, underscored the critical importance of parliamentary scrutiny in such matters, stating that oversight was key to responsible and sustainable mining.

“We cannot be giving mining lease agreements to companies who will not mine responsibly, companies who will mine and leave very far-reaching and devastating environmental effects on our environment.

"It is getting out of hand. If they don’t do it, then we will test the law at the law court,” he asserted.

The Minority has therefore called on the government to act promptly by laying the agreement before Parliament, failing which it says it will seek legal redress to compel compliance and uphold the rule of law.