Entertainment
Lost Radio Programmes: The Ghanaian Shows We Once Could Not Miss
There was a time when radio was more than something playing in the background.
For many Ghanaians, radio was the first thing switched on in the morning, the companion during long journeys, the source of music at home and the place where people went for advice, entertainment, news and sometimes even romance.
Before social media notifications, podcasts and streaming platforms competed for attention, radio programmes had their own loyal communities.
People knew the presenters by voice. They knew the opening jingles. They knew the exact time their favourite programme would begin. Some listeners even organised their daily routines around particular shows.
Today, many of those programmes have disappeared, changed names, moved to different stations or simply been forgotten.
But their influence remains.
When radio programmes had identities
Older generations of Ghanaian radio listeners will remember that programmes were often identified by their presenters, opening lines, theme songs and unique styles.
A programme did not necessarily need a celebrity guest or viral controversy to attract listeners.
Sometimes, the strength was simply the relationship between the presenter and the audience.
Listeners could call into the studio, send messages or visit the station. Radio therefore created something that today’s digital platforms sometimes struggle to reproduce—a feeling that the presenter actually knew the audience.
A familiar voice could become part of someone’s everyday life.
The morning shows that started the day
Morning radio was once almost a ritual.
Families preparing for work and school, traders opening their shops, drivers beginning their journeys and workers getting ready for the day could all have the radio playing.
The presenter was not simply reading headlines.
There were discussions, phone-ins, jokes, music, announcements and conversations about issues affecting ordinary people.
For some listeners, missing the morning programme meant missing the biggest conversation of the day.
Today, morning radio remains powerful, but the way audiences consume it has changed. Many listeners now follow programmes through Facebook, YouTube, TikTok clips and podcasts rather than sitting beside a radio set for the entire programme.
The relationship programmes people secretly listened to
One category that deserves to be remembered is the old relationship and advice programme.
Before relationship content became a major social-media industry, radio was already giving Ghanaians a platform to discuss love, marriage, family problems and heartbreak.
People called in with questions they might never have asked their friends.
Some callers used aliases. Others changed details about their stories.
The presenter often became an unofficial counsellor, while listeners became a kind of invisible audience jury.
A story could generate arguments in homes, workplaces and commercial vehicles long after the programme had ended.
Music programmes were more than music.
Ghana’s old radio music programmes also played an important role in preserving musical culture.
Before Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube made almost every song searchable, radio was one of the easiest ways to discover music.
A presenter could introduce an unfamiliar musician, explain the song and give an emerging artiste an opportunity to reach thousands of listeners.
Some programmes also specialised in particular genres, eras or audiences.
Highlife, gospel, hiplife, reggae, traditional music and foreign music all had their spaces.
For young musicians, getting their song played on a popular radio programme could be a breakthrough.
The programmes that connected communities
Some radio programmes were essentially community noticeboards.
Birth announcements, funeral announcements, missing-person notices, job opportunities, community disputes, fundraising appeals and public service information could all find their way onto radio.
In areas where internet access was limited, radio could reach people who had little connection to the digital world.
This made the medium particularly important outside major cities.
A programme could become part of the social infrastructure of a community.
When presenters became household names
One of the biggest differences between old radio culture and today’s media environment was the strength of the radio personality.
Listeners sometimes recognised a presenter without seeing their face.
The voice was enough.
A presenter’s pronunciation, humour, catchphrases and interviewing style could become part of popular culture.
Some presenters were able to move between radio and television, while others remained almost entirely associated with the station and programme that made them famous.
Their departure could therefore feel personal to listeners.
When a beloved presenter left, audiences did not simply lose a programme.
They lost a familiar voice.
Where did the programmes go?
So why have so many memorable programmes disappeared?
The answer is not always that radio has become worse.
The industry itself has changed.
Radio stations now compete with social media, YouTube, podcasts, streaming services and online news platforms for the same audience.
Programmes are redesigned to generate short clips that can travel online.
Presenters are increasingly expected to become content creators.
A two-hour conversation on radio can now be broken into several TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube clips.
This has changed the structure of programming.
The old programme that depended almost entirely on people sitting beside their radios at a particular hour has become more difficult to sustain.
But should old radio programmes really disappear?
Not necessarily.
Some old programmes contained something that is difficult to measure in ratings—the memory of a generation.
Ask older Ghanaians about their favourite radio programme from 20 or 30 years ago, and many will immediately remember the presenter, the station, the time it aired and even where they were when they listened.
That is cultural memory.
Yet there is no comprehensive public archive of many of these programmes.
Some recordings have disappeared.
Old jingles are sitting on forgotten cassettes.
Programme names survive only in people’s memories.
And some presenters who once had enormous audiences have never had their work properly documented.
The radio archive Ghana may be losing
This raises an important question: What happens when a country’s broadcasting history exists mainly in people’s memories?
Ghana has produced generations of influential broadcasters, producers, DJs, newsreaders and radio personalities.
Their work helped shape how people spoke, debated politics, discovered music and understood popular culture.
But much of that history remains scattered.
Old recordings may be sitting in personal collections, station archives, cassette tapes or nowhere at all.
A young Ghanaian today can easily find international radio history online.
Finding recordings of some of Ghana’s own influential programmes can be much harder.
Perhaps it is time to bring them back
Reviving old radio programmes does not necessarily mean returning to the exact format of the past.
A station could bring back a popular programme as a weekly nostalgia show.
Former presenters could return for special editions.
Old jingles could be restored.
Listeners could submit memories and recordings.
Broadcasters could interview former producers and presenters about how the programmes were created.
And some of these programmes could be converted into podcasts so that their stories survive beyond traditional radio.
The goal would not simply be to recreate the past.
It would be to preserve Ghana’s broadcasting heritage.
Because radio was once one of the most powerful cultural forces in Ghana.
Before the era of podcasts, livestreams, and viral clips, programmes were there that millions of people quietly built their daily lives around.
Some are gone, and some have been forgotten.
But the voices that shaped those programmes—and the memories they created—are still worth finding.
The question is: which Ghanaian radio programme do you remember that you can no longer hear today?
Entertainment
Pete Edochie Pays Courtesy Call on GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi
Veteran Nigerian actor and African screen legend Pete Edochie has paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, during his visit to Ghana for the launch of his African Legacy Project.
The meeting formed part of Edochie’s engagements in Ghana as he officially introduces the project, which is designed to preserve his legacy while creating opportunities for young Africans to learn from the experiences of accomplished personalities

The African Legacy Project comprises a book, a documentary film and an African Youth Mentorship Initiative targeted at reaching approximately 500,000 young people across Africa.
The mentorship component is intended to expose young people to knowledge, guidance and experiences that can help them develop their potential and make meaningful contributions to society.
During the courtesy call, Sammy Gyamfi welcomed the opportunity for GoldBod to support the youth mentorship initiative, describing it as an undertaking that aligns with the Board’s broader social-impact agenda.

GoldBod’s Special Intervention Programme (SIP) is focused on supporting communities and individuals through interventions designed to improve livelihoods and contribute to social and economic empowerment. The Board has previously highlighted the programme as an important part of its efforts to ensure that the benefits of its operations extend beyond the gold-trading sector.
The proposed collaboration with Edochie’s mentorship initiative therefore creates an opportunity for GoldBod to extend its social-impact work into youth development and mentorship on a continental scale.

The meeting also had a strong connection to the themes explored in Edochie’s new book. GoldBod’s work is referenced in the publication, particularly in relation to Ghana’s efforts to ensure that the country derives greater value from its gold resources and uses its mineral wealth to support national development.
GoldBod has positioned itself as the institution responsible for the buying, selling, weighing, grading, assaying, valuation and export of gold and other precious minerals in Ghana. It has also placed emphasis on value addition, responsible sourcing and retaining greater value from the country’s mineral resources.
The inclusion of GoldBod in Edochie’s book reflects the wider African conversation about how countries can better manage their natural resources and ensure that mineral wealth contributes to economic transformation.
Edochie’s visit to Ghana comes as his Legacy Project brings together entertainment, culture, mentorship and African development. The project was formally unveiled in Ghana on October 4, 2026, with personalities from Ghana’s creative and public sectors participating in the celebration

The actor, widely recognised for his decades-long contribution to African film and television, has used the project to emphasise the importance of preserving the knowledge and experiences of Africa’s pioneering figures while deliberately transferring that knowledge to younger generations.
The engagement with GoldBod consequently adds an economic and youth-development dimension to the project, linking Edochie’s legacy and mentorship vision with Ghana’s efforts to maximise the social and economic benefits of its natural resources.
Entertainment
Calvin Fosu Announces December 19 Concert to Honour Daddy Lumba’s Legacy
Calvin Fosu, son of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba, has announced a special legacy concert following his father’s passing.
The concert, scheduled for December 19, 2026, will be held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), and will bring together family, friends and fans of the legendary musician to celebrate his life and enduring contribution to Ghanaian music.
In a video shared on his TikTok page, Calvin invited Ghanaians and Daddy Lumba’s fans to join the family for the special memorial event.
According to him, the concert will be dedicated to celebrating the life, legacy and timeless music of his father, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba.
“On the 19th of December, I plead with you all to come and support us on behalf of our late father, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, also known as Daddy Lumba, to celebrate his one-year memorial at UPSA,” Calvin said.
He described the event as a night that will bring together music, celebration and cherished memories as the family and fans honour the highlife icon.
“This will be an unforgettable night of music, celebrations and memories as we honour the life, legacy and timeless music of our legend,” he added.
Daddy Lumba, whose career spanned several decades, remains one of Ghana’s most influential highlife musicians, with a catalogue of songs that continues to resonate with generations of music lovers.
Entertainment
Irene Opare raises alarm over children walking home without adult supervision
Veteran Ghanaian actress Irene Opare has appealed to parents to pay greater attention to their children’s safety, especially when work and other daily responsibilities keep them away from home.
The actress appealed in a video shared on her Instagram page after she encountered three children while driving.
According to the actress, she spotted a boy who appeared to be about seven years old walking along a busy road with two younger children, believed to be around two or three years old.
She suspected that the older boy had gone to pick up the younger children from school and was taking them home.
The sight of the children walking along the roadside without an adult reportedly concerned Irene, particularly because of the heavy traffic and the number of vehicles using the road.
She said she stopped her car and approached the children to find out where they were going.
Although she was worried about their safety, Irene explained that she could not simply put them in her vehicle and drive them home because of the risks involved in giving a lift to children whose parents she did not know.
The incident, she said, reminded her of the need for parents to remain actively involved in their children’s lives, even as they work hard to provide for their families.
Irene acknowledged that the current economic situation forces many parents to work and hustle to make ends meet. However, she stressed that parents must also make deliberate arrangements to ensure their children are properly supervised and protected.
She urged parents to check on their children before leaving for work and, where possible, arrange for younger children to be picked up from school by trusted adults.
“Please, let’s keep an eye on our children. Parents, I beg you. If you can’t pick them up, get someone older to do so. Please, let’s do this,” she appealed.
Entertainment
Sista Afia Prays for Nana Akua Addo Amid Alleged Assault
Ghanaian musician Sista Afia has expressed support for fashion icon Nana Akua Addo following reports of an alleged assault involving the model and her husband.
In a post on X on October 6, 2026, Sista Afia said she was deeply moved by the reports, noting that she could relate to the emotional pain Nana Akua Addo may be experiencing because she had also gone through a similar situation.
The musician prayed for Nana Akua Addo to find the strength and courage to rediscover herself, while assuring her that people were quietly rooting for her.
“I genuinely admire you, and seeing what you’re going through touched me deeply. I understand that kind of pain because I’ve been there too, and I know the emotional weight that comes with it,” she wrote.
“I pray God gives you the strength and courage to rediscover yourself. You deserve peace, love, and so much more. Please know that someone out here is quietly rooting for you.”
Sista Afia’s message comes amid the circulation of videos purportedly showing Nana Akua Addo involved in a heated confrontation with members of her husband’s family.
Other videos circulating online also appear to show the fashion icon being physically assaulted by her husband.
The reports have sparked conversations on social media, with several people expressing concern for Nana Akua Addo and calling for support for her amid the alleged incident.
Sista Afia, while offering her words of encouragement, appeared to draw from her own experience to empathise with Nana Akua Addo and remind her that she deserves peace and love.
Entertainment
The Ghanaian Things We Are Losing Without Realising It
Ghana is changing. New buildings are rising, smartphones have become part of everyday life, young people are embracing new forms of entertainment, and social media has transformed the way Ghanaians communicate.
Change is not necessarily a bad thing.
Every generation brings something new.
But somewhere between modernisation and the rush to keep up with the world, some things that once made everyday Ghanaian life unique are quietly disappearing.
There is no official announcement when they disappear.
There is no farewell ceremony.
One day, children simply stop playing a particular game. A word stops being used. A food is no longer prepared. An old occupation disappears from the neighbourhood. A radio programme ends and is never replaced.
Eventually, people realise they can barely remember how things used to be.
These are some of the Ghanaian things we may be losing without even realising it.
1. Childhood games played in the streets
There was a time when children did not need a smartphone, tablet or expensive toy to entertain themselves.
The street was enough.
Games such as ampe, pilolo, chaskele, alikoto, skipping rope and police-and-thief provided hours of entertainment.
Children created their own rules, argued about them, formed teams and returned the following day to continue playing.
Today, many children spend more of their free time on phones, gaming consoles, television and social media.
The games have not completely disappeared, but they are no longer as visible in many communities as they once were.
The worrying part is that when the children who remember these games are gone, some of the knowledge surrounding them may disappear too.
2. Ghanaian languages among young people
Ghana has a remarkable linguistic heritage.
Twi, Fante, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani, Nzema, Gonja, Dagaare, Kasem and many other languages carry histories, jokes, proverbs, songs and ways of understanding the world.
Yet some young Ghanaians are becoming increasingly disconnected from the languages spoken by their grandparents.
In some homes, English has become the dominant language of communication.
For some parents, speaking English to their children is associated with education and opportunity.
But language is more than communication.
When a language becomes weaker, expressions, traditional knowledge, humour and cultural references can become harder to pass from one generation to another.
A grandparent may know a proverb that a grandchild understands only after it has been translated.
Something is lost in that translation.
3. The old Ghanaian foods
Ghanaian cuisine is often represented by popular meals such as jollof, waakye, banku, fufu, kenkey and soup.
But there are many less-known traditional foods that rarely appear on modern menus.
Some were strongly associated with particular communities, seasons or farming practices.
As lifestyles change and cooking becomes more time-conscious, certain ingredients and preparation methods are gradually becoming less common.
The danger is not simply losing a recipe.
Traditional food often carries information about agriculture, local plants, seasons and community history.
A dish prepared by a grandmother may contain knowledge that cannot easily be found in a cookbook.
4. The traditional ways of greeting
Ghanaian greetings used to involve much more than saying hello.
Depending on the culture and situation, greetings could involve questions about someone’s family, health, journey, work and wellbeing.
Children were taught to greet older people properly.
Failing to greet someone could be interpreted as disrespect.
Today, greetings still matter, but modern life is changing how people interact.
A quick Hi, a wave or a message on WhatsApp can replace the longer conversations that once accompanied everyday encounters.
But perhaps something else is disappearing—the small social interactions that helped communities remain connected.
5. The neighbourhood storyteller
Before everyone had access to YouTube, TikTok and Netflix, entertainment often came from people.
There was the uncle who could tell stories for hours.
There was the grandmother who knew traditional stories.
There was the elderly man who remembered events that happened decades earlier.
Children could sit around and listen to stories about tricksters, kings, spirits, family history and village experiences.
These stories were entertainment, but they also carried lessons.
Today, a child can access thousands of professionally produced stories with a few taps.
But an algorithm cannot replace the experience of sitting beside an older relative and hearing a story that has travelled through generations.
6. Old occupations
Some once common occupations have become rare.
The traditional repairer, craftsman, local basket maker, blacksmith, mat maker and other artisans once served communities using skills learned over many years.
Some of these skills remain alive, but younger people may be less interested in learning them.
The problem is that traditional skills are difficult to recover once the people who possess them stop practising.
A machine can replace a craftsman.
A factory can replace a local producer.
But the knowledge of how something was traditionally made may disappear with the person who knew it.
7. The old radio culture
Radio remains important in Ghana, but the radio experience has changed.
There was a period when people planned parts of their day around particular programmes.
Listeners knew the presenters, remembered their catchphrases and waited for specific segments.
Relationship programmes, music shows, storytelling programmes, sports discussions and community programmes created loyal audiences.
Today, many people consume radio through livestreams, social-media clips and recordings.
The programme may still exist, but the communal experience around it can be very different.
And some programmes have disappeared completely.
For listeners who grew up with them, their disappearance represents more than a change in broadcasting.
It is the disappearance of a piece of everyday Ghanaian life.
8. The art of visiting people without an appointment
There was a time when visiting someone’s home did not always require a phone call, text message or calendar invitation.
You could simply appear.
Neighbours visited neighbours.
Relatives could arrive unexpectedly.
Friends could sit outside and talk for hours.
Today, busy schedules, traffic, work and digital communication have changed those habits.
People can communicate constantly through WhatsApp while physically seeing each other less often.
We may have gained convenience while losing some of the spontaneity of human interaction.
9. The old provision shop
The traditional neighbourhood provision shop was once more than a place to buy something.
It could be the centre of local conversation.
The shopkeeper knew the children who came to buy sweets.
Adults stopped to discuss community matters.
Sometimes customers bought on credit because the shopkeeper knew them personally.
Modern supermarkets and convenience stores offer efficiency and variety, but they often do not provide the same personal relationship.
The old shop was part business, part social space.
10. Traditional clothing knowledge
Ghana is internationally recognised for textiles such as kente, but there is much more to traditional clothing than the finished fabric.
Different communities developed distinctive ways of weaving, designing, wearing and interpreting cloth.
Patterns could carry meanings.
Clothing could communicate identity, status, occasion and heritage.
As mass-produced fabrics and changing fashion trends become more dominant, some of the knowledge surrounding traditional clothing risks becoming something people admire without fully understanding.
11. The disappearing Ghanaian proverb
Ghanaian languages are rich in proverbs.
A single proverb can communicate an entire philosophy in a few words.
Older generations often used them during conversations, family meetings, storytelling and conflict resolution.
Younger people still use proverbs, but their frequency in everyday conversation appears different from what many older Ghanaians remember.
If the language weakens, the proverb can weaken with it.
And when a proverb disappears, an entire way of expressing wisdom may disappear alongside it.
12. Community work
There was a strong tradition of people coming together to solve community problems.
Neighbours could contribute labour to help build, clean or repair something that benefited everyone.
Community members could organise around a shared need without expecting payment.
Modern life has not completely erased this tradition, but individual responsibilities, urbanisation and changing lifestyles have altered how communities organise themselves.
The concept of we can easily become weaker when everyday life becomes increasingly individualised.
13. Traditional names and the stories behind them
A Ghanaian name can carry a story.
Some names reflect the circumstances surrounding a child’s birth.
Others express gratitude, hope, family history, religion or an experience that shaped the family.
But some traditional naming practices are becoming less prominent as parents increasingly choose names based on global trends, celebrities or personal preferences.
There is nothing wrong with giving children modern names.
But when traditional names disappear, some family histories become harder to trace.
14. The old way of listening to music
Before streaming services, music discovery was an event.
People waited for songs on the radio.
They bought cassettes and CDs.
They recorded songs from the radio onto tapes.
They exchanged music with friends.
A new album could become a major talking point.
Today, millions of songs are available instantly.
That is convenient, but it has also changed our relationship with music.
A song that once took weeks to find can now be discovered in seconds.
Music has become more accessible, but perhaps less of an event.
15. The patience to sit and talk
Perhaps the biggest thing Ghana risks losing is not a food, game, language or occupation.
It is time.
The time to sit with an elderly relative.
The time to listen to a neighbour.
The time to tell a child a story.
The time to learn how something is traditionally made.
The time to sit outside in the evening without constantly checking a phone.
Modern life rewards speed.
Everything is becoming faster.
But culture often survives through slow things—conversation, observation, repetition and storytelling.
We should not romanticise the past
None of this means Ghana should return to the past.
Some traditions disappeared because society improved.
Some old practices were inconvenient.
Some were unfair.
Some should not be revived.
Progress is necessary.
But progress does not require forgetting.
A country can embrace technology while preserving its languages.
Children can play video games while still learning traditional games.
Young people can enjoy international music while discovering Ghanaian classics.
Modern restaurants can exist alongside traditional food.
People can use WhatsApp while still visiting their grandparents.
The real challenge is not choosing between the past and the future.
It is deciding what deserves to travel with us into the future.
What are we willing to save?
Perhaps Ghana’s greatest cultural losses will not happen dramatically.
There may be no headline announcing them.
A grandmother will simply stop preparing a particular meal.
An old man will stop telling a story.
A radio presenter will retire.
A child will never learn the game their parents played.
A traditional craftsman will die without passing on his skill.
A word will disappear from everyday conversation.
And eventually, someone will ask:
Did Ghanaians really use to do this?
That is why preserving culture should not only mean protecting monuments and celebrating festivals.
Sometimes preservation means recording a grandmother explaining how to prepare an old dish.
It means documenting an elderly person’s stories.
It means teaching children traditional games.
It means recording old radio programmes.
It means asking grandparents about the meaning of family names.
It means writing down the words that younger generations rarely hear.
Because culture does not always disappear when people reject it.
Sometimes it disappears simply because nobody remembered to pass it on.
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