["The Geographical Journal, Volume 192, Issue 2, June 2026. ", "\nShort Abstract\nASM constitutes a significant non‐farm livelihood activity for rural populations across sub‐Saharan Africa. Despite its socio‐economic importance, the occupational and environmental consequences associated with mercury use at ASM sites are severe. Mercury use in mining is a practice with a history spanning more than 3000 years. This paper argues that adopting a targeted approach focused on young artisanal and small‐scale miners, coupled with the introduction of safer mining practices, could make a substantial contribution to the eventual reduction and elimination of mercury use at ASM sites.\n\nABSTRACT\nArtisanal and small‐scale mining (ASM) has gained prominence in the development discourse mainly due to its contribution to national economies; but also, the occupational and environmental challenges associated with the sector. This paper concentrates on the use of mercury at ASM sites, as one of the major concerns associated with a growing sector in Ghana. The paper reveals that youth miners have limited knowledge of the grave health effects of mercury because such knowledge is based on what is transmitted by their older counterparts. Some miners have devised crude ways of protecting themselves against the effects of mercury. The paper proposes that an improved education on the effects of mercury on the health of youth miners could be an essential component of formalising the sector, which will also prove to be a key strategy to achieving the goal of reducing and eliminating mercury from ASM.\n"]