JoyNews journalist, Erastus Asare Donkor, has been awarded the Environmental Sustainability Personality of the Year by the Department of Planning at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. 

The honour is in appreciation of his consistent dedication and commitment to protecting Ghana’s natural environment through his work.

Students and faculty members gathered to witness the celebration of Erastus Asare Donkor at a symposium by the Department of Planning of the KNUST's College of Arts and Built Environment. 

Erastus' investigative report, “Destruction for Gold” has been described as insightful in uncovering the environmental havoc of the prevailing illegal mining activities in the country.

According to Prof. Clifford Amoako, the Head of the Department of Planning, Erastus deserves to be applauded for his bravery. 

He commended the steadfastness of the journalist despite victimization from perpetrators of environmental crime.

“At some point, we felt there was a little bit of political will to fight the environmental degradation, environmental attack that we are experiencing. At the same time, hiding some political actors who are involved in destroying our environment, we are not able to confront the issue head on. We are beginning to see victimization of people who speak up to protect the environment. 

"We are beginning to see some amount of attack, even on the very lives of people who want to bring the issue up for discussion. But what we in the Department of Planning believe is that when young people such as Mr Asare Donkor has done, join the fight and are strong and brave enough to sell the story, to come out boldly, to speak up and engineer conversation around the topic, they must be celebrated,” he said. 

Erastus expressed gratitude for the recognition and encouraged corporate entities to join in the battle to fight the growing canker. 

“I feel humbled. I feel honoured. This is no mean an award. It's coming from an institution that does planning of our resources across the country. And so for academia, an institution like that, to recognise what I do and give me an award, and even name me Environmental Sustainability Personality of the Year 2023, I'm grateful. 

"I must say that our very existence are our resources, that we should be planning and managing sustainably so that the nation can benefit, so that our children's children, the future generation, will witness and take advantage of what is being planted and destroyed permanently. It is our duty, it is all our responsibility, each one of us, including academia, to take charge and bring it to the fore and demand that we stop what is going on at the moment and preserve these resources for future use. I think that the Department of Planning (KNUST) has taken that lead and I'm grateful,” he said.

The recognition forms part of the Department's symposium themed: “The role of the professional planner in addressing Ghana’s economic crises”.