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The author is an award-winning youth advocate. He is the co-founder of a number of community initiatives including the Youth Congress, a premier youth-led organization in Kenya.
Celebrated on Feb. 13 each year, World Radio Day highlights radio as the mass media outlet reaching the widest audience in the world. For this year’s World Radio Day, we’re celebrating some of Africa’s radio stars and recognizing their impact.
Get to know some of the leading radio presenters in Africa:
Kedi Molosiwa
Botswana
Kedi Molosiwa, popularly known as “Lezozo,” is an award -winning radio personality from Botswana. She is a seasoned broadcaster and is amongst Botswana’s biggest radio talent at just 26 years of age. She hosts the radio show “Out Loud weekdays” from 12pm to 3pm on Yarona FM.
Some fun facts about Kedi:
- She is an athlete, currently playing social netball. She volunteered as netball coach for Al-Nur Primary School before COVID
- Her favorite color is pink
- She’s the first born child with two younger brothers
- She’s a yoga enthusiast
- She has only traveled to South Africa but aspires to see more of the world beyond her country
- She received her first nomination as a public figure at the 2021 Botswana Youth Awards under Best Media Personality category.
- She later received her first radio award in 2022 at the MISA Botswana Awards, for Radio Program of The Year
- She was recognized by Pula Power for Best Radio Personality in Botswana.
Lezozo is also a digital content creator, voice artist, makeup artist and events host. She has worked with international organizations UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, MTV SHUGA and SKY GIRLS BW in various campaigns and workshops. She is bubbly, outgoing, witty and loves people.
According Kedi, the show is motivational, inspires youth and encourages growth and being responsible young adults. It’s also entertaining and informative.
“Radio in Africa should be fearless, bold, hold leaders accountable, but still maintain the “escape” from day-to-day challenges that people face through fun entertaining content and music,” she said.
Chinwe Blessing
Nigeria
Chinwe Blessing is a professional event host, voice over narrator, career path mentor, fashion model, OAP, vocalist, transcriber, public speaker, traveler, PA and a well-packaged “mediaprenuer.”
Chinwe started her radio journey about a decade ago, in the city of Jos, Nigeria, as a program assistant/co-host for a 1hr radio show. It was meant to be a short contract for about three months, but, thankfully, her employer decided to retain her after the contract period. A few years later she joined another radio station where she hosted a relationship, lifestyle, entertainment and gossip program called “The Night Rush” — a four-hour radio talk show that focuses on various relationships and how to make them better.
According to Chinwe, The Night Rush show has helped thousands of people find healing and guidance in their relationships, and provided insight or relief to our listeners and given furthermore entertained them.
“Radio in Africa has been for several years a strong tool for information, education and entertainment.” she said “It’s about one of the most affordable mediums of mass media.”
[Also by this author: “Developing Radio Partners Makes a Difference in Africa”]
Mehafo Amunyela
Namibia
Mehafo Amunyela is a media student, radio presenter and journalist who is crazily passionate about telling youth stories and furthering the youth agenda.
She was doing her journalism internship at The Namibian newspaper, the oldest daily newspaper in Namibia, when her supervisor, Tiri Masawi, suggested she go on air. Amunyela’s supervisor just wanted to see what she sounded like. He loved her sound and found that she loved being on air. Before long, she was producing and presenting with her co-host, Mercy Karuuombe. The rest, as they say, is history.
Mehafo is also the CEO of Infinity Youth Magazine, which is a print and digital magazine that provide information on career guidance, educates about current and political affairs in an unbiased and easy-to-digest manner, educates about the Namibian economy, provides a platform for young people to share their ideas and receive support as well as educate young people about health issues.
Mehafo hosts a youth program, Youth Central, and frequently features on the evening show, The Rush Hour.
When it comes to the program she hosts, Youth Central, it provides young people with insights and information on topics that might not be widely discussed. This includes recent shows about cervical cancer and HPV, which is very important because any topics on sex, STI’s, STD’s, etc. are considered taboo. At the same time, they promote and further the youth agenda by featuring young people who are making strides in their industries, whether creative, professional or otherwise.
“Radio is a very important medium of communication in Africa. While many cities and towns are developed, there are also places that are rural and underdeveloped where people do not have access to newspapers, let alone the internet,” said Mehafo. “Radio is how these people stay in the loop. I am reminded of the northern part of Namibia, where my parents are from. While there is network, the people living there rely on radio to learn about what is going on in the country and globally.”
Yaw Ofosu Larbi
Ghana
Yaw Ofosu Larbi is a journalist with eight years of practice. He work is mostly in Ghana, but he’s Voice of Africa’s (VOA) correspondent and has worked on several different platforms.
Yaw got into radio right after he got his degree. He’d always loved it and wanted a chance to speak into the microphone, so when he got the chance in 2014 as a young National Service personnel, he took it.
He hosts the “GPL Unlimited” show where they discuss the Ghana Premier League extensively and then “Warm Up”.
His radio show largely contributes to building interest in a league that is almost lost on its own citizens. It seeks to inform the country and build the football league in Ghana into a strong brand.
“Radio is my life,” he said. “I think radio is the most important invention; well maybe after air conditioning and the internet, but I place radio very high above much of the technology we have now.”
Atieno Stacey
Kenya
Atieno Stacey is a radio presenter at NRG RADIO, an urban radio station. Also, she’s a content creator and a brand influencer.
She was born and raised in Eastlands part of Kenya, and one thing her father made sure his kids got was education. Stacey told her parents she wanted to be a journalist and they supported her from the outset. She studied journalism and mass communication; however, her first job was a receptionist at a photography studio in Nairobi. She auditioned for NRG twice and at last, she got the opportunity in 2021. She now hosts a weekend morning show called NRG PRE-GAME with Dj Lizbon.
According to Atieno, being a radio host at NRG was a life changer for her, because she met up with people from different places that changed her way of thinking and how she viewed life. In particular, she sends a special shout out to Mwalimu Rachel, an outstanding and experienced radio presenter, who she says took her time to educate her and guide her in her journey.
Atieno believes she has impacted and helped youth aged 18-25 to kickstart their weekend with not just entertainment, but also discussions on informative topics like mental health down to physical health awareness, plus a gist of of gossip here and there.
“I believe that radio has the widest audience and it reaches millions especially to those who have no internet.” says Atieno “Also, radio is portable you can listen to it anywhere. Radio is also fair. It reaches everyone – the poor, the rich, the educated and the non-educated.”
Her message to young women who aspire to be radio presenters: “To those females that aspire to be on radio, be you unapologetically. Be authentic. Don’t take negativity to heart and remember to always be open to learn.”
