Celebrating a media gem; Radio Univers’ Dr. Abubakr Sidick Ahmed

“Great leaders find ways to connect with their people and help them fulfill their potential”- Steven Stowell.

The quote summarizes the story of a man who refused all sorts of enticements and other lucrative offers but chose to commit himself to building a solid foundation which will later on become an excellent platform for student journalists to reach student audience and improve upon their skill to be professional journalists and media personalities.

Volunteers of Radio Univers, past and present, came together to celebrate in grand style the birthday of Station Manager and Ghanaian media gem, Dr. Abubakari Siddick Ahmed.

They used the occasion to show their appreciation to Dr. Ahmed for his tutelage and support over the years.

Also present, as a surprise, was the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education Prof. Kwesi Yankah who is a longtime friend of Dr. Ahmed. In his short message he described the birthday of Dr. Abubakari Siddick as “a moment where tears could be shed and a moment of history.”

A citation was presented to Dr. Abubakari Siddick Ahmed by Prof. Kwesi Yankah on behalf of all volunteers for all his “outstanding commitment and excellent training skills.” The story of press freedom and its development in Ghana would be incomplete without the contribution of the Dr. Abubakr Siddick Ahmed.

The birthday celebration was one filled with mixed feelings as volunteers, past and present recounted their experiences with the media paragon. Alhaji as he is popularly known as, is the host of Behind The Headlines – the station’s major news analysis program.

Dr. Abubakari Siddick Ahmed is widely regarded as a pioneer of radio journalism in Ghana and is acknowledged by both black and grey. Under his watch Radio Univers has maintained its status as Ghana’s leading campus-based radio station and his expertise has been very useful in the formation of the Campus Broadcasting Association of Ghana (C-BAG).

Dr. Siddick Ahmed has directly trained a host of distinguished journalists in Ghana as well as many others in the corporate world.

Brief History of Radio Univers

In 1993, the Dean of Students, Professor Kwesi Yankah, in consultation with the Vice Chancellor, Professor George Benneh, and the Executive Committee of the SRC, proposed the setting up of a campus Radio Station and subsequently applied to the Ghana Frequency Registration and Control Board for authorization.

The University demonstrated its commitment to the Station and procured a new set of transmission equipment, at the cost of approximately $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars).

So in line with the new image came a new set of equipment and a change of name from Voice of Legon to “Radio Univers”. The adoption of this peculiar spelling of Univers (without a final “e”) was to maintain its distinctive identity.

Then in 2006 the Station Manager Abubakari Sidick Ahmed on his own initiative submitted a proposal through the Management Board of the Station Chaired by Professor Yankah to UNESCO for technical support through its IPDC programme. The proposal was accepted and UNESCO procured a 500Watts stereo transmitter with accessories, an exciter, and eight bay antennae system at an estimated cost of $100,000.

By 2007 the Station Manager again through targeted fundraising drive got some donors to procure an 80-meter fully galvanized industrial tower at the cost of about $80,000 for the Station, which has since become the property of the University. Click here to watch the birthday celebrations.