Applications have opened for the second cohort of the Africa Extractives Media Fellowship (AEMF), a programme developed by NewsWire Africa to strengthen the capacity of Ghanaian journalists covering mining, oil, gas, critical minerals, and environmental governance across the continent.
Submissions opened on Monday, May 25, 2026, and will close on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM GMT. The fellowship is open exclusively to Ghanaian journalists across all media platforms and career stages.
The second cohort will train 50 journalists through intensive full-day sessions held twice monthly over six months, combining technical instruction, expert led discussions, mentorship, field exposure, and practical story development. The programme is structured to move participants beyond surface-level coverage toward more investigative, analytical, and solutions-oriented reporting on extractive industries.
“We are looking for journalists who are curious, committed, and ready to go deeper on the stories that matter,” said Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah, Project Lead for the fellowship, adding that the AEMF was built specifically to close a longstanding knowledge gap in one of Africa’s most economically significant and underreported sectors.
The programme addresses a persistent challenge within African newsrooms. Reporting on mining contracts, petroleum agreements, fiscal regimes, environmental regulations, and resource accountability demands technical fluency that most journalists have not had structured opportunities to develop. Ghana’s national conversation around illegal mining, petroleum revenue management, licensing, community displacement, and critical minerals makes that gap increasingly consequential for public understanding and accountability.
The application process requires professional background submissions, samples of published work, a project proposal, and a cognitive assessment focused on Ghana’s extractive industries. Women journalists are especially encouraged to apply as organisers seek to improve diversity and representation within extractives reporting.
The inaugural cohort, launched in October 2025, brought together journalists from television, radio, print, and digital platforms across Ghana. The programme draws institutional support from the Australian High Commission in Ghana, the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Digital Earth Africa, the University of Ghana Business School, and the University of Mines and Technology.
Interested journalists can submit applications at https://aemf.newswireafrica.org.
