Why Komla Dumor can never be forgotten

Komla Afeke Dumor isn’t dead. That is true in many ways, even though Ghana and the rest of the world marked the eight-year anniversary of the broadcasting giant's death.

Until his sudden demise, he worked at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and has continued to live in the hearts of many.

It was a truly dark day on that Saturday, January 18, 2014, when the shocking news of the passing of Komla Dumor flew through newswires in the country.

It was not only because another Ghanaian had died, but it was because this man was one of those people whose very existence alone kept the flag of Ghana so high on the world’s map.

Komla was loved and is still adored for all that he achieved in his time both in Ghana’s media space and then at the BBC.

“He had this incredible ability to make anyone he met feel special,” one of his colleagues at the BBC said of him, while another described him as “you’d know he’s there before you even set your eyes on him.”

Peter Okwoche, who now presents Focus on Africa on the BBC, one of the programs Komla Dumor was so passionate about and which he was a presenter on until his death, said “he had this massive bear hug that he gave to people and throaty laughter of his.”

“He was professional, he was fun, he was engaging, and he was just such a joy to work with,” Vera Kwakofi, Current Affairs Editor, BBC Africa in 2015, also said of him.

And there have been many more testaments made of the giant of a personality Komla was, as well as the authority he commanded in telling the African story in its entirety.

But there is more that confirms that Komla Afeke Dumor can never be forgotten.

A more fitting example of one of the things that have kept the memory of the man alive is the Komla Dumor Award instituted by the BBC to continue to inspire African journalists to tell their own stories.

Since 2015, the award, in honour of the legacy of the Ghanaian journalist, has been won by Nancy Kacungira from Uganda (2015), Didi Akinyelure from Nigeria (2016), Amina Yuguda from Nigeria (2017), Waihiga Mwaura from Kenya (2018), Solomon Serwanjja from Ugandan (2019), Victoria Rubadiri from Kenya (2020), and Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya from Zambia (2022).

Also, although the years have run along with his passing, memories of him have not been forgotten.

Below are some of his best quotes:

“Before you go global, you need to start local. Be small but think big.”

“You can always have big dreams, but you also have to have the patience to achieve them. You can make it wherever you are.”

“There’s so much more to tell about Africa than the usual stories about war, famine and disease.”

“There is enormous potential across the length and breadth of Africa. No other region on earth offers the high level of Return on Investments (ROI) as Africa does.”

“Hire the best talent to tell the story, or the view is great from my hotel.”

“There is only one standard – a global standard. Be consistent, operate at 100% every single time you’re given an opportunity.”

About Komla Dumor:

Dumor was the presenter of Focus on Africa, the BBC's first-ever dedicated daily TV news programme in English for African audiences. It was broadcast on BBC World News, which later this year is merging with the BBC News Channel to create a single 24-hour TV news service.

He was also one of the lead presenters for BBC World News' European morning segment.

He joined the BBC in 2007 after a decade of broadcast journalism in his native Ghana where he won the Ghana Journalist of the Year award.

Between 2007 and 2009 he hosted Network Africa for BBC World Service, before joining The World Today programme.

In 2009 Dumor became the first host of the African business news programme on BBC World News, Africa Business Report. He travelled across Africa, meeting Africa's top entrepreneurs and reporting on the latest business trends around the continent.

In 2013 Dumor featured in New African magazine's list of the 100 most influential Africans.

It is worth mentioning too that Komla Dumor’s grandfather was Philip Gbeho, the man who composed the national anthem of Ghana.

Komla Afeke Dumor was survived by a wife and three children.



AE/BOG