FM partner Free online content from BBC Focus on Africa magazine

What do you do at the station?

I'm the director of finance and administration, which means I look after the money and make sure the systems run in both radio and television.

I also work for our monthly newspaper and I help manage the restaurant.

So Skyy Power is more than just a radio station?

Well, we are into entertainment and hospitality and the restaurant is part of the entertainment aspect of our work. It's a lovely place. It's just by the Atlantic Ocean in Sekondi, but our main focus is the radio and television.

You have a high position at Skyy Power FM. Was it easy to rise to the top?

I'm actually a partner and was part of the initial set up. I put in some money. I worked in London for a while and I came back to join in about five years ago.

I believe it's a family affair.

Yes, I'm married to Wilson Arthur; he's the chief executive officer.

What's your working relationship like?

Sometimes you speak on a business level, but it is interesting because he treats me as a partner and we work professionally when we are in the office.

So there is a good home life/work balance?

There is, but we still talk business at home.

So do you feel like you can ever relax?

Yes. We have the weekends to ourselves when we act like a family rather than like business partners. We have three children: two boys and a girl, aged 14, 12 and 8.

The Africa Cup of Nations is coming up in Ghana. Is there a lot of excitement around you in Sekondi?

Well, it's picking up. It increased during the draw, but we thought we would boost the interest a bit by having 30-minute programmes every day of the tournament, telling people what's happening, the venues, the hotels and preparations.

On Cup of Nations competition  I think we are on top of it locally. We are proactive and the other stations will have to play catch-up.

Gradually people are getting excited. I have seen a few national flags hanging out in town and we visited a few shops and people are asking for Ivorian and Nigerian memorabilia as the teams playing in Sekondi are Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Mali and Benin.

I think we will get the most interesting part of the whole tournament.

Can you see lots of building work going on?

Well, the stadium itself is complete and I think the only things left to finish are the training pitches. The city is trying to clean up.

You drive around town and there are people planting trees on the roundabouts. We have about a month to beautify the city until the world sees it.

What is going to make your station stand out in the crowded radio market?

We are planning on running the matches on television and radio.

Wilson is also a member of the organising committee and we are planning to have "fan cities". We have an enormous screen and we will be showing the matches at our HQ, Skyy House.

We will also have music concerts. Plus we have also started running French lessons on our networks because three out of the four teams coming here are from French-speaking countries.

In January we will kick off with some more interesting programmes. We are also hoping to link up with radio stations in Ivory Coast and Nigeria in order to create more excitement.

Who do you see as your toughest competition in the radio market?

There is not anybody locally, but we have this syndication going around and we could link up with stations in Accra.

Will you be watching the football?

I hope to be there for at least one match as we have never been to the new stadium and it would be great to take the family.

Skyy Power broadcasts from Sekondi on 93.5 FM

This article appears in the January - March 2008 edition of BBC Focus on Africa Magazine.

SUBSCRIBE: With the sharpest writing and the finest photography, a Focus on Africa magazine subscription will keep you abreast of all the important developments across the continent.