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Ghana’s Desmond Darko calls for alternatives to illegal mining

By , based on MyJoyOnline

Ghana’s Desmond Darko calls for alternatives to illegal miningJames St · CC BY 2.0

Young Dee Group chief executive Desmond Darko says Ghana’s fight against illegal mining will fail if it focuses only on enforcing laws without addressing why residents depend on the activity. Speaking on Joy FM on 29 October 2026, he called for a change in attitudes and alternative livelihoods.

Desmond Darko said that people in some mining communities have long depended on extracting gold from waterways. He believes that asking them to abandon the activity without a viable economic alternative will not be enough to end the practice, known in Ghana as “galamsey”. He also called on leaders to address the attitudes that perpetuate it.

The proposal comes amid a debate in which the effects of galamsey extend beyond miners’ livelihoods: illegal mining has, among other things, destroyed a bridge and cut off villages in Ghana. On 16 October, Ghana’s minister also called for elected officials to be held accountable for galamsey.

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