For 30 years, Damang hosted one of Ghana’s most prominent gold mining companies—Goldfields Ghana Ltd. Yet today, as news of the government’s refusal to renew the company’s lease spreads, there is little sorrow in the air. Instead, there is cautious relief.

“You cannot be in a town for three decades and leave it looking abandoned,” said Emmanuel Afful, Convener of the Concerned Youth of the Damang Catchment Area.

“There’s no hospital, no functional water systems in some communities, and the same dusty, pothole-ridden roads.”

The government’s decision to reject the lease renewal is seen by many as an act of long-overdue justice.

The youth of Damang say they are not anti-mining; they are pro-development, and they believe Goldfields failed to deliver.

“Compare Damang to Kenyasi or Akyem, where other mining companies have built hospitals and better infrastructure,” Afful added.

“Three decades should have transformed Damang, but instead we got neglect.”

The youth commend the government for listening to the voices that have long been ignored and urge it to remain resolute against any pressure to reverse course