Three decades of exclusion – Damang youth push for local ownership and content

If there’s anything the youth of Damang have learned in 30 years of co-existing with a multinational miner, it’s this: foreign interests often come first.

Despite promises of local job creation and skills development, most of the top roles at Goldfields were occupied by non-locals.

Locals were relegated to casual labor—cleaning, catering, security—mostly through subcontractors. Even industrial attachments and national service placements often excluded Damang youth.

“This wasn’t a partnership. It was extraction with exclusion,” said Eric Garibor. “Now that they are gone, let us chart a new course.”

The youth are advocating for the next concession to be awarded to a competent Ghanaian company—one that values community, promotes Ghanaian jobs, and reinvests in local infrastructure.

“A Ghanaian success story is possible. We’ve seen it at Awaso. Let’s do the same in Damang,” Garibor said.

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