Ghana’s donkey population is rapidly dwindling due to the widespread killing and export of these animals to China, where their skin is used for the production of anti-ageing and cosmetic products.

This alarming trend is pushing donkeys towards the brink of extinction.

“There will be no donkey left in Ghana very soon,” Mr. Kanton cautioned during a stakeholder meeting in Tamale in the Northern Region on Wednesday as part of the FADE project.

“Within a decade, children from the donkey hub in this country, up north, will have to go to the Accra and Kumasi Zoo to see the donkey species and this is what we do not want to see.”

Donkeys play a crucial role in the lives of many Ghanaians, particularly in the Northern Region.

They are not only used for carting goods from farms to homes and market centres but also for ploughing farmlands.

Additionally, donkey droppings serve as valuable manure to fertilize degraded farmland, while donkey meat is considered a delicacy in some parts of Northern Ghana.

“The country is already facing an economic crisis with jobs for the people,” Mr. Kanton emphasized. “If we allow this native job to be toyed with or destroyed, we will have ourselves to blame.”

Despite the government’s 2016 ban on the indiscriminate slaughtering and exportation of donkeys, the situation persists.

The FADE project is seeking the support of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to enforce the ban and protect these valuable animals.