The maiden Africa Extractives Media Fellowship launched in Accra this week, selecting 30 journalists from over 300 applicants across six African countries to undergo intensive training aimed at transforming how stories about mining, oil, and gas get told across the continent.
The six month program, spearheaded by NewsWire Africa, received applications from Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Uganda, signaling continent wide demand for specialized training in covering extractive industries that generate billions in revenue yet remain poorly understood by citizens whose lives these sectors affect most directly.
Kwakye Afreh Nuamah, Programs Lead for the Africa Extractives Media Fellowship, says the initiative was born from recognizing that stories about Africa’s extractive industries are too often told from boardrooms and policy tables rather than from communities living with the impacts. That imbalance gave birth to the fellowship’s mission of centering community voices in coverage of sectors dominated by technical jargon and corporate messaging.
“The local economies are often missing from the narrative,” he said at the launch of the first cohort. “Too often, the stories that reach the public are shaped by boardrooms and policy tables, not by communities.”
The overwhelming response surprised organizers who initially expected applications primarily from Ghanaian journalists. Instead, the geographic spread of applicants revealed hunger across the continent for responsible, impactful storytelling about natural resources that form economic backbones of numerous African nations yet frequently generate controversy over environmental damage, community displacement, and revenue transparency.
Fellows will undergo intensive training in data journalism, sustainability reporting, governance frameworks, climate impact assessment, gender considerations, and community development within extractive economies. The curriculum extends beyond technical skills to include mentorship from leading journalists, researchers, and industry experts both in Ghana and internationally.
This mentorship approach distinguishes the fellowship from standard journalism training programs. Direct guidance from experienced practitioners aims to help participants not just report news but shape national conversations around resource management, transparency, and community benefit in ways that challenge power structures rather than simply amplify official narratives.
For Ghana, where the extractive sector remains economic backbone through gold, oil, gas, and bauxite production, the fellowship launches at opportune moment. Challenges including poor information flow, weak public engagement, and limited accountability have clouded sector management despite its massive contribution to government revenue and employment.
Industry observers suggest that training journalists to better understand and report on these issues could prove transformational. More accurate, data driven, and human centered reporting might help citizens hold institutions accountable, improve policy debates, and attract responsible investment that prioritizes environmental protection and community development alongside profit extraction.
“Responsible, well informed journalism is central to how Africa manages, understands, and benefits from its natural wealth,” Nuamah indicated during the launch ceremony attended by government officials, mining executives, and civil society representatives.
The fellowship enjoys support from significant stakeholders in Ghana’s extractive sector. Partners include the Australian High Commission led by High Commissioner Berenice Owen Jones, the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the Petroleum Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, Digital Earth Africa, University of Ghana Business School, and University of Mines and Technology.
Australian High Commissioner Berenice Owen Jones emphasized at the launch that equity and inclusion are becoming as critical to sustainable growth as technology and finance. She highlighted the Her Press Initiative, supported through the Dikan Centre, as part of Australia’s commitment to empowering women journalists who shape public understanding of extractive sectors often dominated by male voices and perspectives.
“When journalism is informed and inclusive, it doesn’t just tell stories, it builds accountability and peace,” Owen Jones stated, linking quality journalism to broader governance outcomes that determine whether resource extraction benefits nations or enriches small elites while impoverishing communities.
With over 150 Australian mining firms operating across Africa and combined investments running into tens of billions of dollars, Ghana remains key partner in this broader footprint. Australian companies have brought not only capital but also global best practices prioritizing transparency, environmental care, and community engagement, according to Owen Jones.
The fellowship’s focus on sustainability and accountability mirrors evolving nature of Ghana Australia relations that increasingly emphasize responsible mining alongside traditional commercial interests. Investors face growing judgment not only by what they extract but by how responsibly they operate in communities where mining creates both opportunities and tensions.
A particularly personal moment came when Nuamah shared the story of the fellowship’s CEO, Rebeccah Asante, who returned to work only 24 hours after delivering her baby daughter, nicknamed “Abena Extractives” in tribute to the new generation of storytelling. That dedication mirrors NewsWire Africa’s commitment to building stronger, braver, more responsible media across the continent.
The fellowship runs from October 2025 through April 2026, with all activities scheduled for Accra. Training already underway aims to ensure the 30 fellows emerge not just as better journalists but as storytellers who reshape how Ghana’s extractive sector gets covered, putting people, sustainability, impact, and accountability at the heart of reporting that has traditionally focused on production figures and corporate announcements.
Organizers plan to expand reach to other African countries in coming years, tapping into growing interest in ethical, solutions driven reporting that moves beyond exposing problems to exploring viable pathways toward more equitable resource management. The first cohort will serve as proof of concept for whether intensive, specialized training can measurably improve extractive sector journalism quality.
Ghana holds some of the world’s richest deposits of gold, oil, gas, and increasingly valuable green minerals needed for renewable energy transitions. Yet people whose lives are most affected by extraction remain frequently missing from narratives that determine how wealth from beneath their feet gets shared, spent, or spirited away to offshore accounts.
The fellowship bets that equipping journalists with technical understanding of extractive industries, data analysis skills, and community centered reporting approaches can help close the gap between what happens in mining communities and what citizens understand about sectors shaping their nation’s economic future. Whether 30 trained journalists can catalyze broader transformation in how extractive industries get covered remains to be tested over coming months as fellows complete training and begin producing stories applying their new skills.
Success will be measured not just by story quality but by whether improved reporting translates into better policy debates, increased public engagement with extractive sector governance, and ultimately more equitable sharing of natural resource wealth across Ghanaian society. Those are ambitious goals for any journalism training program, but the response from across Africa suggests appetite exists for journalism that serves citizens rather than just institutions.
