The Ghanaian Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has granted the Damang mining lease, previously held by Gold Fields, to mining services provider Engineers and Planners, which was selected as the successful tenderer by a tender committee.

In an April 7 media statement, the Ministry says this recommendation has been approved by Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, with a further directive to the commission to take all the requisite regulatory steps to give effect to the approval.

As previously reported in Mining Weekly, Gold Fields is transferring ownership of the Damang mine to the government of Ghana, with the transfer set to occur on April 19.

The Ghanaian government in April 2025 granted Gold Fields a 12-month extension to its mining lease for the Damang mine in order to ensure a smooth transfer of ownership.

According to the tender committee, Engineers and Planner’s bid satisfied all mandatory requirements set out in the notice and provided documentary evidence of access to financing, meeting the $500-million minimum threshold.

The Ministry says the tender documentation indicates that the company has experience and knowledge relevant to the operations, infrastructure and geology of the Damang mine and submitted proposals for the development of same, including measures intended to extend the life-of-mine beyond ten years.

Concluding, the tender committee states that, on the basis of the applicable evaluation criteria and scoring, the tender submitted by Engineers and Planners attained the highest evaluated score.

“In summary, the company demonstrated the highest capability to operate the Damang mine, substantiated by their submission of the most viable tender,” it says.

The Ministry points out that four tenders were received by the March 31 deadline and were considered based on the guidelines issued by the Minister in accordance with Regulation 258 of the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations 2012.

The four companies were Vortex Resources Mining Group, Engineers and Planners, Heath Goldfields and Maripoma Mining Services.

“The Ministry commends the commission, particularly the members of the tender committee, for their dedication to this critical national assignment, and reiterates government's commitment to the Damang mine's continued contribution to Ghana's economy,” the Ministry says.