Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Kwame Baffoe, known as Abronye DC, publicly praised businessman Ibrahim Mahama and his firm, Engineers & Planners (E&P), for the development they have delivered at Damang.
Baffoe claimed that E&P’s work in Damang has produced more community benefits than foreign‑owned mining companies have achieved in theirs over several decades. He cited Newmont’s operations in Ahafo, noting that the development associated with E&P at Damang surpassed what Newmont had delivered to its host communities over roughly twenty years.
In his remarks, Baffoe urged Ghana to entrust more of its gold resources to capable indigenous entrepreneurs such as Ibrahim Mahama, arguing that local ownership could bring greater benefits to the country. He said Ghanaian‑owned mining companies could contribute to employment creation, infrastructure development and increased local investment.
Baffoe also acknowledged his past opposition to the 2017 bauxite concession involving Exton Cubic Group Limited at Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region, a project linked to Engineers & Planners that had become the subject of political and legal controversy. His latest comments represent a favourable assessment of Ibrahim Mahama’s contribution to the mining sector, despite that earlier opposition.
Moving forward, the NPP chairman’s endorsement could influence policy discussions on indigenous participation in Ghana’s mining industry, potentially encouraging more local investment and community development projects.
