President of IMANI Africa, Frankline Cudjoe, has urged the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to intervene in the ongoing dispute between Azumah Resources and Engineers & Planners (E&P), warning that the matter is becoming increasingly contentious and damaging.
In an open letter addressed to the Minister shared on Facebook on Saturday, July 11, 2026, Mr. Cudjoe questioned why efforts to resolve the disagreement had not yielded results, leading the two parties to pursue international arbitration.
“Dear Minister Kofi Buah, you indicated some time ago that you intended to resolve the dispute between Azumah Resources and E&P. May I ask what has since transpired? Why have the two parties now resorted to international arbitration?” he wrote.
The dispute involves the Black Volta Gold Project, where Azumah Resources and E&P have been engaged in a legal and commercial disagreement over the development and ownership arrangements of the project.
The matter escalated to international arbitration after claims and counterclaims emerged between the two companies.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had earlier intervened, giving both parties a one-week window to resolve their differences or allow the government to take steps in the national interest.
However, Mr. Cudjoe said the continued dispute was creating uncertainty and urged the Minister to facilitate a swift resolution.
“Frankly, the current situation is becoming untidy and, I daresay, tedious,” he said.
He also expressed support for E&P’s position in the dispute, alleging that Azumah Resources was using pressure tactics to secure terms that were not part of the original agreement between the two parties.
“Having followed the exchanges from the outset, I sense that Azumah is deploying strong-arm tactics to coerce E&P into accepting terms that were neither originally contemplated nor mutually agreed upon during the exchange. This is patently unfair,” he stated.
Mr. Cudjoe argued that resolving the dispute fairly was important not only for the companies involved but also for Ghana’s broader mining sector, saying the situation reinforced the need to promote stronger local participation in resource ownership.
“Such conduct only strengthens the case for resource nationalism,” he said, arguing that Ghana must create conditions that allow local investors to mobilise capital and participate meaningfully in the mining industry.
He added that Ghanaian companies with the capacity to invest in the sector already exist and could expand ownership through mechanisms such as listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange, provided procurement and investment processes are handled fairly and transparently.
Mr. Cudjoe called on the Lands Minister to help bring the dispute to an end, saying a timely resolution would demonstrate Ghana’s commitment to fair partnerships and investor confidence.
“A clear, timely resolution would not only restore fairness but also signal that Ghana values equitable partnerships over coercive practices,” he said.
The Azumah-E&P dispute has attracted significant attention because of the strategic importance of the Black Volta and Sankofa gold projects and broader debates around indigenous ownership in Ghana’s mining sector.
