Komla Afeke Dumor, esteemed journalist, was born in Accra, Ghana on October 3, 1972. He was one of the first and African newsreaders on BBC World News, covering a wide range of African news, from the blood diamond trade to the funeral of Nelson Mandela.
He interviewed everyone from Kofi Annan to Bill Gates to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. He anchored the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and President Barack Obama’s trip to Africa.
Dumor started as a medical student at the University of Ghana, but shifted his interests and ended up graduating with a degree in Sociology and Psychology from the school and went on to Harvard University, where he earned a Master’s in Public Administration.
He died January 18, 2014, in his London home following a heart attack. He had been on the air the day before. Ghana President John Mahama tweeted that Dumor was one of Ghana’s “finest ambassadors” and “was a broadcaster of exceptional quality and Ghana’s gift to the World.”
In his Ted Talk on covering Africa, Dumor shares his experience in media.
