Kwabena Adu Koranteng Writes
Ghana is witnessing what many fear could become one of the most brazen tests of accountability in recent history. The unfolding developments surrounding the Damang Mine are no longer just a matter of policy—they are a litmus test for whether the state serves the people or a powerful few.
At the center of this storm is the reported move to hand over operations of the Damang concession—previously held by Gold Fields Limited—to Engineers & Planners. What should have been a transparent, competitive, and nationally scrutinized process is instead being shrouded in controversy, raising the unmistakable stench of state capture.
A PROCESS UNDER A CLOUD
Fresh concerns emerging from policy watchers, industry insiders, and governance advocates point to a troubling pattern:
No clear evidence of open competitive bidding for one of Ghana’s most valuable gold assets.
Lack of public8 disclosure on the evaluation criteria used in selecting a successor operator.
Silence from key state institutions, even as public suspicion intensifies.
In any serious jurisdiction, the transfer of such a strategic national resource would trigger parliamentary8 inquiry, regulatory scrutiny, and full public transparency. In Ghana today, it is unfolding behind a veil.
THE MAHAMA CONNECTION: CONFLICT OR COINCIDENCE?
The controversy takes on an even more explosive dimension with the involvement of Ibrahim Mahama—a central figure in Engineers & Planners and brother to President John Dramani Mahama.
This is not a trivial footnote—it is the core of the public’s concern.
Even in the absence of proven wrongdoing, the optics alone are damning. When a sitting President’s close relative is linked to the potential acquisition of a major state resource, the burden of proof shifts heavily onto the government to demonstrate fairness, transparency, and absolute independence in decision-making.
So far, that burden has not been met.
NEW FLASHPOINT: THE PRESIDENTIAL JET CONTROVERSY
Adding fuel to an already raging fire are persistent claims circulating in political and public discourse regarding the use of a luxurious aircraft allegedly tied to the President’s brother.
While official clarification remains limited, the issue has triggered deeper questions:
Are state decisions being influenced by private financial relationships?
Is there an unhealthy overlap between public office and private wealth networks?
And most critically—who benefits from the control of Ghana’s gold?
These are not fringe concerns. They go to the very foundation of democratic governance.
A PATTERN GHANAIANS RECOGNIZE
Ghanaians are not naïve. The Damang situation fits a familiar and dangerous pattern:
A high-value state asset becomes available.
A politically connected entity emerges as the frontrunner.
Due process becomes opaque or bypassed.
Public institutions fall silent.
This is how nations lose control over their wealth—not through force, but through quiet capture.
THE COST OF SILENCE
If this trajectory is not halted, the implications will be severe:
Investor confidence willi erode, as fairness in Ghana’s business environment is called into question.
State revenues may be compromised, if deals are not competitively optimized.
Public trust in government will collapse further, feeding political instability.
Most dangerously, it will signal that power, not process, determines who controls Ghana’s natural resources.
THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN
This moment demands courage from institutions and citizens alike.
Parliament must demand full disclosure of the Damang transaction process.
Regulatory bodies must assert their independence and review the deal rigorously.
Civil society and the media must refuse to be silenced or distracted.
Above all, the government must understand this:
Ghana’s gold is not family property.
FINAL WORD
If the Damang Mine is handed over without transparency, competition, and accountability, it will not just be a bad deal—it will be a defining moment of state capture in modern Ghana.
And history will not be kind to those who enabled it.
