The Constitutive General Assembly of the Association of Former Members of Radio‑Univers was held at the premises of the first university radio station in Africa in general, and in Francophone Africa in particular, on Friday, July 31, 2026, the eve of the 66th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Benin and to mark Radio-Univers's 35th anniversary.
At the beginning of the session, the President of the Support Committee for the Renaissance of Radio‑Univers, Héribert‑Label Élisée Adjovi, thanked the Founding Director, Samuel Elijah, and his successor from Paris, Doucis Aïssi, for their presence at the Abomey‑Calavi meeting. “These 35 years of Radio‑Univers are a dream opportunity for us, who were able to make the trip to the university campus, to reunite across generations. And for those, even more numerous, who could not come today, it is the hope that the Association of Former Members of Radio‑Univers will be born at the end of our work.” He expressed gratitude to the alumni present and those connected online. Four items were on the agenda: a general debate on the need to establish the Association, the study and adoption of its statutes, the election of the executive bureau, and miscellaneous matters.On the essential question of whether or not to establish such an association, both online and in person, testimonies were eloquent. Generation after generation, the same question remained: when will there be a forum for the alumni of Africa’s first university radio? For this reason, unanimously, all participants welcomed the initiative and approved the holding of this assembly.
During the debate on the statutes, the choice of the appropriate name sparked discussion between supporters of “association,” “network,” and “circle.” In the end, consensus was reached around the term “association.” Article by article, the statutes were analyzed and amended by participants, having already been carefully studied by a panel of seven experts. Adopted by acclamation, subject to final amendments, the statutes now provide members with a forum to exchange on life after Radio‑Univers, projects to be carried out together for the benefit of members, the radio, the nation, and beyond.
Given the short time frame before organizing this assembly, and the fact that the event took place on the eve of Benin’s national holiday, attendance was lower than expected. However, to mark this historic moment, a provisional executive bureau was established, headed by former Director and President of the Support Committee, Héribert‑Label Élisée Adjovi. This bureau will work to gather as many alumni as possible around the ideals of solidarity and fraternity promoted by the association. It will also prepare the next general assembly, which will adopt the internal regulations and elect the permanent governing structures. Notably, Samuel Elijah (Founder) and Doucis Aïssi (second Director) were appointed as Special Advisers to the bureau, an honorary position they preferred to best contribute to this alumni forum.The miscellaneous section served as closing remarks. First to speak, Director Doucis Aïssi expressed his emotion: “It’s a dream come true. We have wished for this for a long time, and today it’s done… even though I would have liked to see a larger assembly.” He offered advice to the provisional bureau and called for greater mobilization for future meetings. Following him, Founding Director Samuel Elijah highlighted the highly symbolic nature of the date of the constitutive assembly. He expressed confidence that this step will impact the history of Radio‑Univers and urged all alumni to join the association. “I am who I am thanks to Radio‑Univers,” he concluded.In person, Bonaventure Yessoufou (former Head of Technical Services), Fedrick Adimou (former Director), Carine Agossou, Taïbatou Kindé, and Clément Kegbo (former members) expressed their joy at sitting alongside the first Directors of Radio‑Univers, congratulated the event, and pledged their support for mobilizing alumni around the association. Online, former Secretary General Flavien Aïdjinou, speaking from an airport stopover outside Benin, exclaimed: “This is a big step toward bringing together the alumni of Radio‑Univers.” Also online, from France, Wilfried Tchékpo echoed the sentiment, stressing that common interest must prevail over personal interests: “That is the only thing that matters.”Finally, the President of the provisional executive bureau, Héribert‑Label Élisée Adjovi, thanked everyone for their presence at Abomey‑Calavi and declared himself on a mission to unite all those who passed through Radio‑Univers. “Together with the provisional bureau, I will work to give us the opportunity to better know each other across generations, to foster active solidarity within our forum, and to remain attentive to the needs of current and future actors of the radio so they feel well supported, without being stifled.”Radio‑Univers, expression is life! Dynamism is our business!