Engineers and Planners (E&P) has been recommended as the preferred strategic investor to take over the lease and operations of the Damang Gold Mine following a competitive tender process.
The recommendation was contained in a report submitted by the Tender Committee tasked with identifying a technically and financially capable partner to succeed Gold Fields, which is expected to hand over operations on April 18, 2026.
The committee, chaired by Maxwell Y. A. Klu, presented the evaluation report to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. The report was received on behalf of the Sector Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, by the Chief Director, Innocent Marcus Haligah.
Constituted under Regulation 261 of LI 2176, the committee was mandated to ensure that the selection process prioritized wholly Ghanaian-owned companies, in line with Section 111 of the Minerals and Mining Act.
According to the Committee Secretary and Acting Director of Legal at the Minerals Commission, Joseph Iroko, four firms submitted bids: Engineers and Planners, Heath Goldfields, Vortex Resource Mining Group, and Maripoma Mining Services Limited.
However, Vortex Resource Mining Group and Maripoma Mining Services Limited were disqualified at the preliminary stage after failing to meet mandatory requirements, including the submission of valid tax, VAT, and SSNIT clearance certificates.
Following the initial screening, Engineers and Planners and Heath Goldfields advanced to the technical evaluation stage, where key indicators such as technical expertise and local content strategies were assessed. Heath Goldfields, despite demonstrating strong local participation, failed to meet the minimum technical score of 80 percent required to proceed.
This left Engineers and Planners as the sole bidder to advance to the financial evaluation stage, where it secured an overall score of 93.15 percent.
The committee noted that E&P demonstrated strong financial capacity, including access to funding exceeding 500 million dollars. Documentation presented showed commitments from Stanbic Bank and Absa Bank to support the company’s operations.
Based on its performance across both technical and financial assessments, the committee formally recommended Engineers and Planners for the award of the mining lease.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is expected to review the report and take the necessary steps to finalize the transition, as Ghana moves to ensure continued production at the Damang Mine, with a projected output target of 1.85 million ounces.
Story By: Eric Boateng/Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
