Australian High Commissioner to Ghana Berenice Owen-Jones emphasized five decades of Australian mining investment in Ghana’s economy during the launch of the maiden Africa Extractive Media Fellowship on Tuesday, October 28.
Speaking before dignitaries including Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampo Addo and Minerals Commission Chief Executive Officer Isaac Andrew Tandoh, the High Commissioner underscored the long-standing history of responsible investment and partnership that continues to define Ghana Australia relations in the extractive sector.
The Africa Extractive Media Fellowship is a six-month intensive journalism training programme designed to strengthen reporting on Africa’s extractive industries, running from October 2025 to April 2026 in Accra. The initiative is led by NewsWire Africa in partnership with institutions committed to transparency, sustainability, and good governance.
Owen-Jones noted that with more than 150 Australian mining companies active across 30 African countries and investments exceeding 60 billion Australian dollars, Australia’s footprint in Ghana’s mining industry stands out for its scale and standards. She said these companies have not only injected foreign capital into Ghana’s economy but have done so with a strong commitment to transparency, ethics, and sustainability.
The partnership delivers sustainable and substantial benefits to Ghana’s economy and citizens, helping to stabilize the country’s extractive sector while fostering innovation and long-term productivity, she explained.
Australian mining investments in West Africa are estimated at 30 billion dollars, with Ghana hosting a substantial share. Australian mine operations alone employ over 1,100 Ghanaians, providing stable income to households and contributing to local development, Owen-Jones revealed.
The High Commissioner highlighted the Atlantic Lithium project, which received a 15-year mining permit in October 2023 and aims to produce 350,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate annually over 12 years. When fully operational, the project is expected to create over 900 direct jobs and boost the country’s export revenue and royalty earnings.
Beyond mineral extraction, Owen-Jones emphasized that people-to-people connections between Australia and Ghana remain at the heart of their relationship. She revealed that over the past 20 years, more than 500 Ghanaians have benefited from the Australia Awards Programme, pursuing advanced studies, research, and professional training in leading Australian universities.
These beneficiaries have since returned to Ghana equipped with specialized knowledge in public health, agriculture, renewable energy, and mining, helping to drive institutional growth and innovation across both public and private sectors, she added.
The High Commissioner also drew attention to gender imbalance in both the extractive and media industries, citing the Her Press Initiative, a project supported by the Australian government earlier this year through the Dikan Centre, which provides training and mentorship for women journalists in Ghana.
The new Africa Extractive Media Fellowship builds on that vision by equipping journalists, especially women, with the tools, mentorship, and exposure needed to tell informed, balanced stories about mining, environmental sustainability, and economic development, Owen-Jones stated.
She described the fellowship as more than just a journalism training programme, calling it a bridge between ethical reporting and responsible resource governance that helps communities hold power to account and fosters peace through understanding.
Through the fellowship, journalists will gain deeper insights into the extractive sector, explore issues of gender equality and sustainability, and contribute to shaping public dialogue around resource management, the High Commissioner concluded.
