Ghanaian Journalist Takes Leap of Faith into Specialized Mining Media In an interview with Just Gospel radio at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, Ghanaian journalist Fred Dzakpata shared his journey from traditional broadcasting to launching a specialized mining sector news portal.
Dzakpata, who founded ghextractives.com four years ago, recently took the bold step of leaving his full-time radio job to focus entirely on his mining sector publication. The decision came after seeing steady growth in his portal's recognition among industry players over the past three years. "After four years, I thought I could step back and put more energy into this and focus on it so that it can become a full-time job for me," Dzakpata explained. "It's a leap of faith. You don't know where the next money is going to come from, how to pay your bills, but it's been generating some money."
The former broadcaster, who spent over a decade in traditional media, highlighted how his attendance at Mining Indaba has already yielded networking opportunities with mining sector leaders from across Africa, including recent discussions with a CEO from Zambia. Dzakpata's portal focuses on Ghana's extractive sector, with plans to expand coverage across West Africa and the broader continent.
The timing of his venture coincides with Ghana's recent emergence as Africa's largest gold producer, having overtaken South Africa two years ago. Before launching his mining sector publication, Dzakpata worked at several Ghanaian radio stations, including Styrofoam and Asasi Radio.
He identified a gap in specialized mining sector coverage after discovering that previous attempts at similar publications had struggled to maintain operations beyond a few years.
The journalist's participation at Mining Indaba represents part of his strategy to build continental connections and expand his publication's reach. "I may not be able to travel to Zambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ethiopia, but at Indaba, I'll meet all the representatives there and strike the connections that I need," he noted.