Acting Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Andrews Tandoh, has revealed that several investors have submitted proposals for the possible takeover of the Goldfields Damang Mines.
He, however, maintained that the government is currently going through this proposal and a decision would be taken soon by the sector minister on the way forward.
The Acting Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission disclosed this on PM Express Business Edition on September 4, 2025, with host George Wiafe.
Mr Tandoh assured that the government will take steps to ensure that it settles on the best proposal that will help turn the mine around and serve the interests of the mining community.
“Government has not got any preference, but we are looking for the best for Ghanaians and the indigenes of these mining communities,” Mr Tandoh said.
He also revealed that the government has put together a committee to oversee the transition once the one-year extension is over by Goldfield’s end.
“The committee will review all these interests and make the necessary recommendation to the government on the next line of action,” he emphasised.
Background
Parliament in July 2025 approved a one-year transitional mining lease agreement between the Government of Ghana and Abosso Goldfields Limited for continued gold mining operations at Damang, located in the Wassa West District of the Western Region.
The lease follows the expiration of the previous agreement on April 18, 2025, and is scheduled to run until April 2026.
It is explicitly non-renewable and prohibits any extension, transfer, mortgage, or related transactions beyond the stated expiry date.
Initially, the government had planned to take over operations after the expiration of the original lease.
However, following further consultations, it agreed to extend the arrangement by one additional year under strict non-renewable terms.
Mining Sector Investments
There have been concerns that the government’s plan to review the regulations and laws covering the mining sector is already affecting capital attraction into the country.
But speaking on PM EXPRESS, Mr Tandoh insisted that current market data does not support these claims.
“We have more companies that have come in to commence mining,” he added.
The Acting Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission noted that every proposal will be given the needed consideration and attention.
“We have a lot of mining firms that want to come into the country, and by the close of next year, the total number of mining companies operating in the country could witness some significant increase,” he explained.
Supporting Mining Communities
Isaac Andrews Tandoh also disclosed that under the revised mining law, the government is seeking to legislate support for host communities.
He further clarified that they want to move away from this practice where support for these communities is seen as corporate social responsibility programmes to something that everyone can track and follow.
The Acting Chief Executive also revealed that there are proposals that these mining firms could “give out” a fraction of their products to support this community development initiative.
On the galamsey fight, the Chief Executive noted that “we should see it as a marathon and not a single race”, insisting the government is committed to dealing with this challenge.
He concluded by saying,“We want our work to speak for us on the galamsey fight.”