Dr. Abubakari Sidick Ahmed, former Station Manager of Radio Univers, has died at the age of 63.

Popularly known as Alhaji, he passed away on Monday, February 16, 2026.

The news was confirmed by his widow, Naziha Alhassan, who disclosed that he died at about 10:15 a.m. at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, where he had been receiving treatment for several days.

For more than three decades, Dr. Ahmed devoted his life to Radio Univers, the campus-based radio station of the University of Ghana. Beginning as a student volunteer reporter, he rose through the ranks to become Producer, Editor and eventually Station Manager, earning the distinction of being the longest-serving staff member in the station’s history.

His tenure was marked by discipline, mentorship and a relentless pursuit of excellence in campus broadcasting.

Beyond the university, his influence resonated across Ghana’s media landscape, where he trained and inspired generations of journalists who have gone on to excel nationally and internationally.

In what has now become a symbolic farewell, Radio Univers alumni organised a dinner in his honour on June 6, 2025 — two days after his birthday — to celebrate his decades of service. The event drew prominent personalities, including Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, Emeritus Prof. Kwesi Yankah, Prof. Clifford Nii Boi Tagoe, Prof. Kwame Karikari, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo and Supreme Court Justice Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu, alongside colleagues and alumni.

Although he formally stepped down from active management last year, Dr. Ahmed remained a towering presence within the Radio Univers community, offering guidance and institutional memory to young broadcasters navigating the profession.

As host of Behind the Headlines, a widely respected news review and analysis programme, he became a familiar and authoritative voice in Ghanaian broadcasting.

His legacy, colleagues say, is defined not only by longevity but by service, humility and the many media careers he helped shape.

Dr. Ahmed will be buried in accordance with Islamic traditions.

With a career spanning over 30 years in journalism, broadcast media and media education, Dr. Ahmed was widely regarded as a visionary leader and dedicated mentor. As one of the station’s earliest professionally trained broadcasters and media scholars, he played a pivotal role in shaping both its editorial direction and training framework.

Under his leadership, Radio Univers underwent significant transformation. He oversaw the renovation of its studios, established a modern television studio and introduced contemporary broadcast technologies. Despite persistent funding challenges, he managed the semi-autonomous station for more than two decades without a single regulatory infraction.

Dr. Ahmed also expanded the station’s reach by launching social media platforms and online streaming, significantly growing its global audience. Through structured mentorship, at least seven trainees annually secured positions at leading media organisations such as TV3 Ghana, Joy FM, Citi FM, as well as international outlets including Voice of America and Deutsche Welle.

Among his notable achievements was pioneering Ghana’s first media review programme, which earned the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana Award in 1999 and later became a staple format for morning shows nationwide.

His service earned him several honours, including the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award from the University of Ghana in 2000 and the National Award of the Order of the Volta – Civil Division, conferred in 2001 by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Beyond broadcasting, Dr. Ahmed contributed to academia through research, publications and conference presentations on journalism and media ethics, strengthening media education across West Africa.

He leaves behind a strengthened Radio Univers, a generation of ethically grounded journalists and a media industry deeply influenced by his leadership and educational innovations.