The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has issued a decisive intervention in the high-profile disagreement between Engineers & Planners (E&P) and Azumah Resources over the Black Volta Gold Project, granting both parties seven days to resolve their claims or face a binding state resolution.
This deadline follows E&P’s July 7 signing of a $100 million Acquisition Facility Agreement with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), aimed at financing Ghana’s first wholly indigenous, large‑scale gold mine. Hours later, Azumah Resources publicly disavowed any formal partnership, insisting E&P held no shares and had not made an official investment offer.
In his July 10 letter to both companies, Lands Minister Emmanuel Kofi‑Amarh Buah noted the confusion sown by competing press releases and directed that the Minerals Commission convene structured talks to arrive at an “amicable solution” within one week. Should negotiations fail, he warned, the government will impose “a decision taken in the best interest of the country.”
The Minister also urged E&P and Azumah to avoid further media statements and focus on constructive engagement, emphasizing the project’s economic importance and the need for clear regulatory oversight.
By mandating Minerals Commission involvement, the Ministry aims to fast‑track the resolution process and safeguard Ghana’s strategic goal of leveraging its mineral wealth through transparent, domestically controlled ventures. As the deadline approaches, industry observers await the outcome, which will set a precedent for government mediation in future resource‑sector disputes.
