By Daniel Bampoe
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has launched a fierce attack on businessman Ibrahim Mahama and the government of his brother, President John Dramani Mahama over the controversial award of the Damang Mine lease to Engineers and Planners Company Limited, describing the transaction as one of the most troubling conflict-of-interest scandals in recent Ghanaian political history.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during the commencement of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament on May 21, 2026, the Effutu MP accused the Mahama administration of disguising what he called a deeply compromised transaction under the cover of due process and Cabinet procedure.
The Damang Mine controversy has rapidly become one of the most politically explosive issues confronting the NDC government after state authorities approved the transfer of the mining lease to Engineers and Planners, a company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, the younger brother of the President.
The transaction followed the exit of South African mining giant Gold Fields from the Damang Mine operation, with the government insisting that a competitive bidding process was conducted before the award was finalized.
However, Afenyo-Markin told Parliament on Thursday that the Minority Caucus was unconvinced by the government’s explanation and argued that the process raised profound ethical, constitutional, and governance concerns because of the direct family relationship between the President and the beneficiary of the deal.
According to the Minority Leader, the lease was formally awarded on April 7, 2026, before the official handover ceremony, which took place on April 18.
He claimed the mine itself is estimated to be worth between $600 million and $1 billion, making it one of the most valuable natural resource transactions undertaken under the current administration.
Government officials and spokespersons have defended the transaction by insisting that President Mahama recused himself from Cabinet discussions concerning the lease award to avoid any conflict of interest.
But Afenyo-Markin strongly rejected that explanation on the floor of Parliament, insisting that the President’s absence from one Cabinet meeting did not erase the wider influence he exercised over the institutions and officials responsible for approving the transaction.
According to him, the Lands Minister, Minerals Commission leadership, and other state officials involved in the process all serve at the pleasure of President Mahama and therefore could not be viewed as entirely independent actors in a deal involving the President’s own brother.
The Minority Leader argued that the conflict of interest was made even more severe by revelations that President Mahama had been using Ibrahim Mahama’s private jet for official state travel during the same period the Damang transaction was under consideration.
He claimed government officials themselves admitted that the businessman personally absorbed costs associated with maintenance, pilots, and crew services for the aircraft while state institutions simultaneously evaluated and awarded a major national asset to his company.
Afenyo-Markin told Parliament that the issue was no longer about perceived conflict of interest but what he described as an “actual, direct and documented” conflict involving the Presidency and state resource allocation.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of long-standing political debates in Ghana over political influence, procurement transparency, and allegations of preferential treatment involving politically connected businessmen.
However, the Damang Mine issue has attracted exceptional scrutiny because of the direct familial relationship between the President and the businessman at the center of the transaction.
The Minority Leader is now demanding a full parliamentary investigation into the award process.
Afenyo-Markin specifically called on Parliament’s Lands and Natural Resources Committee to immediately begin a formal probe into the transaction and summon all officials involved.
According to him, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, and every official connected to the evaluation and approval process must appear before Parliament to provide explanations.
The Minority is also demanding the disclosure of full bid documentation, evaluation criteria, scoring sheets, and beneficial ownership records for all companies involved in the bidding process.
The issue is expected to trigger intense political debate in the coming weeks as Parliament reconvenes amid already heightened tensions between the governing NDC and the opposition NPP over allegations of political intimidation, economic hardship, and governance failures.
The Damang Mine controversy now adds another major political flashpoint to an already charged national atmosphere, with the Minority insisting that the mineral resources belong to the people and must not be allocated under circumstances that compromise public trust and transparency.
