I see nothing wrong with refusal to renew Goldfields’ Damang mining lease—Dr. Steve Manteaw

Policy Analyst Dr. Steve Manteaw sees nothing wrong with the government’s refusal to renew the Damang mining lease for Goldfields.

An internal memo announcing the decision by the government to workers of Goldfields indicated that they will ensure their workers are protected as a result of the refusal.

Goldfields indicated that they are working with the government to ensure that they get the approval but until then, they are preparing to leave the lease on April 18, 2025 when it expires.

In a Facebook post, Dr Steve Manteaw indicated that what’s imperative is not the decision not to renew the lease for Goldfields.

Rather, the people of Ghana must be concerned about who will be given the lease after Goldfields have been refused.

He said “I see no issue with the refusal to renew the Goldfields Damang lease, since the company itself started deinvesting in the project two years ago, and proceeded to direct all subs and suppliers to demobilise. The sudden interest in the mine, expressed by Goldfields is strange and serves as a caution to the regulator to avoid a repetition of past mistakes.

For us as citizens, our interest at this moment lies in what happens to Damang, and that decision ought to be taken transparently and in our collective national interest.