JoyNews investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has urged the government and regulatory agencies to overhaul Ghana’s mining licensing regime and adopt a more humane approach to combating illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.

Delivering the keynote address at the Kronti ne Akwamu Lecture on Thursday, November 27, held under the theme “Galamsey: A Country’s Search for a Solution in Plain Sight,” Mr Donkor said Ghana’s current licensing structure is so cumbersome and corrupt that it discourages responsible miners while enabling illegal operators to thrive.

He described the system as “a complex maze” that frustrates genuine Ghanaians who want to undertake responsible, environmentally friendly mining but are met with endless paperwork, long delays, and bribery demands.

According to him, some prospective miners spend years renewing processing fees only to have illegal miners invade and degrade the very concessions they are struggling to legitimise.

Mr Donkor stressed that such conditions “force good people into bad choices” and called for a simpler, fair and transparent licensing process, one that leaves no excuse for illegality except deliberate wrongdoing.

He further cautioned that enforcement alone cannot win the fight against galamsey. Any meaningful solution, he argued, must be tied to alternative livelihood programmes that give affected communities sustainable options.

He emphasised the need for investments in skills training, agriculture, eco-tourism and entrepreneurship, warning that without viable alternatives, efforts to stop galamsey would merely “push poverty from one pit to another.”

Mr Donkor also advocated for clear red zones where mining must be strictly prohibited, particularly around water bodies. Poverty, he noted, should not become a justification for environmental destruction.

He warned against nurturing a “galamsey mentality” among the youth, the belief that mining is the only path to survival, saying such thinking would be dangerous for a country whose mineral resources are finite.

Beyond stopping illegal mining, he called for urgent reclamation and desilting of rivers to reverse environmental damage.

“We cannot just stop the bleeding; we must start the healing,” he added.