One of the biggest radio personalities in Ghana, Kwami Sefa Kayi, has sat down with Rev. Erskine Whyte on the Y Leaderboard series to share with the youths how a painfully shy Kwami Sefa Kayi became the ‘Chairman General’ of the Ghana radio space.
The ‘Y Leaderboard Series’ is a segment with the objective to develop the youth and provide inspiration to listeners by hosting leaders and achievers in various industries in Ghana and beyond. The eighth guest to grace the ‘Y Leaderboard Series’ segment after an array of inspirational achiever’s in various disciplines, was the legendary broadcaster Kwami Sefa Kayi
The illustrious broadcaster who is widely known as the ‘Chairman General’ by his admirers narrated his fascinating story, as a media person on the Y Leaderboard series on Wednesday, 24 June 2020. The famed broadcaster, explained how important family is to him and his desire to bring his dad back to life.
“My father died when I was 19, he died two days after a car crash. It was my first experience of death. It was a shock and a turning point for me. My backbone was gone. My father was this big strong man I looked up to, and for those two days before he passed on he was so vulnerable. If I could change anything about my childhood, it wouldn’t be my parents or siblings. My father would still be alive,” he said.
Replicating his beautiful relationship with his father, in his own life as a dad, he said he cherishes his family and wishes he could be there more. “When you do the kind of work I do, I am up at 4 in the morning, 4:30 at the latest, from Monday to Friday. I’ve been doing it for 25 years now and I started it when I was a bachelor so by the time I had gotten married, I was used to this kind of lifestyle.
I try to make the effort, I try to make the time so whenever I can make the time, I try to connect especially with my children but I think that is the department that I need to work hard on. It’s tough but it is what it is,” he said.
Kwami Sefa Kayi who said his dream was joining the army, advised the youth to never be static in one position, but look out for new avenues to better themselves in life. “You need to whole your skills, you need to develop your skills because life has evolved. Life is a constant learning curve so you cannot sit in one place and say you’ll rely on your talent. Not in this kind of environment.”
Speaking about his role as a ‘mediator’ during heated arguments or discussion on his morning show, he conceded that there is pettiness in the perception where someone thinks you are not on their side.
“I am not neutral. I think I am fair. Neutrality is very subjective. There is a saying that is attributed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He says that in the quest for neutrality if an elephant and a mouse are in a fight and you say you are neutral, as far as the mouse is concerned, you are on the side of the elephant,” he said.
He also debunked rumours that he will be appointed as the director of communication at the presidency.
“It is not true that at a point they said I was going to be the director of communication at the presidency. Which was not true. Someone took a picture and shared on social media a not so flattering picture of me and they did a story but no one approached me to be a minister or a director of communication at the presidency,” he said.
Speaking about the Y Leaderboard Series Programmes Manager, of YFM Eddy Blay explained why the station puts so much effort in getting top notch guests every week.
“The ability to inspire others is an important skill, YFM wants to help the youth achieve the success they desire. So we keep the message authentic, by bringing inspirational guests who have real stories to tell and we hope their stories will amplify results. We become too obsessed with measuring talent and ability, we often overlook the important role of inspiration. Inspiration propels a person from apathy to possibilities.”
