James Yebuah Mensah, known as Pap Jay within the media circles, is the host of the Myd Morning Radio Show (MMRS) on YFM Kumasi. His nickname is a combination of his local name ‘Papa Nii’ and his Christian name ‘James’.
The host holds a Master of Business Administration from KNUST Business School with specialty in Marketing and Strategic Management. Prior to that, he obtained a degree from the University of Ghana, Legon with a major in Geography and Resource Development. Senior High School education took him to the Eastern Region, where he studied General Arts at Akim Swedru Secondary School. He has been in the communications field for the past eight years.
Mensah says that becoming a host was not the goal from the start. Instead, it was his passion in sports punditry that took him on this blissful journey, and he has not looked back since. Radio will always and forever have a special space in his life. However, he looks forward to leveraging on his passion, and to use his exposure and experience with radio to further impact the society he lives in positively – whichever way, shape or form that may take.
In five years, he hopes to be known beyond the shores of Ghana for his passion and for positive impact across humanity all over the world. The host, who is currently in a relationship, hopes to be married and have kids in the future. He was born and raised Christian. He considers himself a God person and does his best to live his life by His word.
Pap Jay is also influenced by his childhood and how he was raised. The host grew up in a family of five, with two sisters. Being the first-born and the only boy, the pressure to set a good standard was inevitable.
He had to do most chores at home, run the most errands and look out for his sisters when his parents were at work. He says that this has influenced his domestic home-keeping skills. Since both his parents did not compromise on their Christian faith, they trained their children with the ‘Good Book’ – the Bible as a yardstick to grow. Discipline was non-negotiable in Mensah’s family. He says that this has absolutely influenced the way he thinks and lives today. His own values in life are to stay humble and to hold no grudge.
This is how he manages the attention that comes with the job as well. He tries to stay level-headed and not to create a space for pride in his heart. He admits it can be tough at times, but he believes he also has a wonderful circle of friends and family around him who check on him and keep him humble.
This circle is also his motivation. His family and the people that he holds dear to his heart are his daily reminder to keep pushing even when the odds are not amazing.
Mensah says that being on radio gives him a voice; one that can best be used for advocacy. In 2021, he penned down ideas that could help him make use of the voice he had. Out of all these ideas he wrote down, the Pap Jay and Friends concept gave him the most hope. This will be a social event through which funds will be raised to support a specific charity project. Fast forward to August 14, 2022, he hosted the first edition of Pap Jay and Friends – the Kenkey Edition.
Through this gathering, the company was able to raise an amount to aid an on-going construction of a Mother and Baby Unit at the Asante-Mampong General Hospital. At this moment, the 20-bed Mother and Baby Unit is fully functional. The host views success as being able to achieve and master any set goal. His goal for next year is to make more money and give back to the society in the best way he can.
Pap Jay describes himself as a great mix of fire and water; an extroverted introvert, so to say. You will rarely find him where the drama is, but most definitely where the fun is. He is well-known for his day job on radio as well as his Master of Ceremony duties for wedding parties or corporate events. His favourite pastime is to swim and play the keyboard. He spends most of his leisure time scrolling through social media, even though he admits that this may sound unhealthy. He also spends some time catching up with his friends and family that busy schedules usually keep him away from for long periods.
For the job he does, he inevitably meets, interacts with, and knows many people. However, he has a very close-knitted circle of friends with whom he shares most of his social moments. He does not allow his personality on radio to merge with who he is in real life. He says that these two personae may overlap every now and then, but they remain independent.
From road trips to Sunday fufu dates, among others, Mensah thinks having a social life is great, but he says that it needs to be handled with wisdom and discernment. For his relationship with subordinates at work, it all lies in mutual respect for him. He keeps by the Golden Rule as the bible spells out: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you”.
His favourite food is Jollof with goat meat, but he loves and appreciates all good meals. If he could be any animal in the world, the host would be a dog. Not only because he loves dogs, but also because he is loyal and likes to be of good support to the people around him. When it comes to fashion, he is most often not concerned with trends and current styles. As long as he feels good wearing it, he is good to go with no preference for names or labels.
Pap Jay’s advice to young people is to commit to personal growth. He says that this will shore up their value and offer them a seat at the table of men. “Above all, keep God first in all your dealings, and just like Proverbs 3:5 says, and He will direct your path.”
