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Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) represents a vibrant sector that provides direct employment and income to many people particularly the youth. In Ghana, concerns about ASM related environmental challenges led the Ghana Media Coalition Against Galamsey to start the #StopGalamseyNow Campaign. This resulted in enormous pressure on the government to impose a ban on ASM in 2017. Drawing on data from interviews conducted with fifty-eight ASM workers in two mining districts in Ghana, this paper examines the effects of the ban on the livelihoods and imagined futures of young miners who were previously engaged in the sector and the ways they navigate their uncertain futures. What emerges strongly from our interviews with young people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences is that, while ASM is a key sector that allows young people to build their livelihoods (earn income, accumulate …