As tributes pour in for the late Ghanaian highlife legend Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, one of the most poignant reflections has come from Ransford Antwi, former manager of Kojo Antwi and CEO of Suncity Group of Companies.
While mourning the passing of the celebrated musician, who died on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the age of 60 after a short illness, Mr. Antwi revealed a previously unknown collaborative project that could have brought together two of Ghana’s most iconic highlife musicians—Kojo Antwi and Daddy Lumba.
According to Mr. Antwi, a rare opportunity emerged in 2014 when both musicians, long seen by fans as musical rivals, expressed a desire to work together under his management.
“Kojo Antwi and DL had become very close and were excited about doing something significant together. I was meant to manage them both in what would have been a game-changing partnership,” he said.
Antwi recounted a memorable morning following the Legends and Legacy Awards at the Accra International Conference Centre, where Kojo Antwi personally drove him to Daddy Lumba’s house before a return trip to Sunyani. It was there the trio laid out plans for a massive project: a December 24 concert, a nationwide tour, two individual albums, and a unique television series dubbed the “Kojo and Kwadwo Reality Show.”
“We even secured a sponsorship commitment of GHS400,000 from a bank for the December concert. Sadly, the project never materialised,” Mr. Antwi shared, reflecting with regret on what could have been a historic musical collaboration.
Still, the meeting was not in vain. Inspired by the encounter, Antwi said he moved quickly to register “DL Radio” in honour of the highlife star, much like he had earlier done with Breeze FM for Kojo Antwi.
Antwi also shared some lighter, more personal memories of Lumba, including conversations with his wife, Safura, and DL’s nostalgic recollection of her grandmother’s popular waakye joint in Asante Mampong, his hometown.
“He was full of warmth and fond memories. That small talk about waakye reminded me how grounded he was despite the stardom,” Antwi noted.
What resonated most, however, was the deep mutual respect between Kojo Antwi and Daddy Lumba—two artistes whose lyrical duels helped define modern Ghanaian highlife but who, according to Antwi, saw each other as “brothers rather than rivals.”
“Kojo could sing most of Lumba’s hits. They genuinely admired each other,” he said, adding, “Though their grand project never happened, DL’s legacy is eternal.”
As Ghana mourns the loss of one of its musical greats, Mr. Antwi’s reflections offer a bittersweet glimpse into an artistic alliance that almost was, but more importantly, reinforce the enduring bond, brilliance, and brotherhood between two of the country’s greatest highlife exports.
