Els: MBN360 News
Dr. Abubakari Sidick Ahmed, former Station Manager of Radio Univers, has died at the age of 63. He passed away on Monday, February 16, 2026, at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, where he had been receiving treatment. Alhaji, as he was popularly known, dedicated over three decades to Radio Univers, shaping the station into a respected training ground for young broadcasters in West Africa.
Popularly known as Alhaji, he passed away on Monday, 16 February 2026, at about 10:15 a.m. at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, where he had been receiving treatment for several days.
His death was confirmed by his widow, Naziha Alhassan, in an interview with Radio Univers.
For more than three decades, Ahmed dedicated his professional life to the University of Ghana’s campus-based, non-commercial radio station, rising from a student volunteer reporter to become its Station Manager — the longest-serving staff member in the station’s history.
From student volunteer to institution builder
Ahmed’s journey began as an undergraduate at the University of Ghana, where he joined Radio Univers as a student journalist. Through discipline, technical expertise and a deep commitment to training young broadcasters, he steadily climbed the ranks to serve as producer, editor and eventually manager.
Colleagues say his tenure transformed the station into one of West Africa’s most respected training grounds for aspiring journalists.
As the only professionally trained broadcaster and media scholar at the station for years, Ahmed shaped both its editorial direction and its educational philosophy, blending academic rigor with practical newsroom discipline.
Mentor to generations
Beyond titles and years of service, Ahmed was widely regarded as a mentor and moral compass.
Former students credit him with instilling ethical journalism, professionalism and a culture of excellence. Many of his trainees now occupy prominent roles in leading Ghanaian and international media organisations, including Media General Ghana, Multimedia Group Limited, Omni Media Company Limited, Voice of America, and Deutsche Welle.
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Under his leadership, Radio Univers modernised its studios, introduced online streaming, expanded its global reach and launched flagship programmes such as Behind the Headlines, Interrogating Africa, and Knowledge Café, which bridged academia and public policy discussions.
He also introduced a strict code of conduct that raised standards in reporting, production and on-air professionalism — measures that helped the station operate for decades without regulatory infractions.
Recognition and honours
Ahmed’s contributions earned national recognition.
He received the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award in 2000 and, in 2001, was decorated with the Order of the Volta by former President John Agyekum Kufuor for his service to journalism and media development.
His pioneering work on Ghana’s first media review programme also won an award from the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana, a format that has since become standard on many morning radio shows.
A farewell in his honour
In what now feels like a symbolic goodbye, Radio Univers alumni organised a retirement dinner in his honour in June 2025, just days after his birthday. The event drew leading academics and public figures, including Kwesi Yankah, Kwame Karikari, Audrey Gadzekpo, and Supreme Court Justice Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu.
Even after stepping away from active management, colleagues say he remained deeply involved — offering guidance, institutional memory and encouragement to younger broadcasters.
Ahmed leaves behind a legacy defined not just by longevity but by service: a stronger Radio Univers, a generation of ethical journalists, and a newsroom culture rooted in mentorship, discipline and public interest journalism.
He will be buried in accordance with Islamic traditions.
For many in Ghana’s media fraternity, Alhaji was more than a station manager — he was a teacher, father figure and architect of modern campus broadcasting.
