On cue with Kafui DEY:13 January 2026

The MC is not the star (even if the suit is expensive)

Every January, the season opens with a familiar sound across conference halls, hotel ballrooms and community centres from Accra to Abuja, Nairobi to Kigali. It is not the clink of cutlery or the hum of a sound system warming up. It is the unmistakable voice of an MC who has mistaken the microphone for a personal stage.

You know the type.

The event hasn’t started, but the MC is already telling us how honoured he is to be there. Before the chairman is introduced, we have heard three jokes, one childhood story and a detailed explanation of why the MC’s suit cost more than the catering budget. By the time the keynote speaker arrives, the audience is exhausted, and slightly suspicious.

This is the first and most common mistake beginner MCs make: making the event about themselves.

It is understandable. The microphone is seductive. It amplifies not just your voice, but your ego. Add applause, a good sound system and a room full of polite people, and suddenly the MC begins to feel like the main act. Unfortunately, that is exactly when the trouble starts.

An MC is not the headline. The MC is the headline reader.

In business and public life, context matters. Whether you are hosting an economic forum in Addis Ababa, a banking dinner in Accra, or a tech launch in Lagos, people did not leave traffic, deadlines and families to hear your life story. They came for ideas, decisions, recognition and progress. Your job is to move them there smoothly.

Yet many rookie MCs treat every introduction like an audition. They stretch a simple welcome into a ten-minute performance. They compete with speakers for laughs. They insert themselves into every moment — “When I spoke to the minister earlier…” — even when nobody asked.

The irony is this: the more you try to be memorable, the less professional you appear.

Good MCs understand something subtle but powerful. The event already has stars. The honourees, the speakers, the milestone being celebrated. These are the stars. Your role is to light the stage, not stand in the spotlight.

I have seen it happen at high-level corporate events. The MC opens with a joke that lands badly, then doubles down with another. The room tightens. Sponsors exchange looks. The organiser starts checking their watch. From that point on, the MC is fighting the room instead of guiding it.

Contrast that with the quiet professional. The MC who welcomes guests with warmth, introduces speakers with precision, and exits before applause fades. Guests may not remember their jokes, but they remember how smooth the event felt. That is not accidental. That is mastery.

Humour, by the way, is not the enemy. Ego is.

There is nothing wrong with personality. Africa’s best MCs have it in abundance. But personality must serve the moment. A light joke to ease tension, a warm line to connect cultures, a brief personal touch — all fine. The problem begins when the MC becomes the story.

A simple test helps. After the event, ask yourself one question: Did my presence elevate the programme, or did it compete with it?

If the loudest applause of the night was for you and you were not receiving an award, it may be time to reflect.

Professional MCs measure success differently. Not by how often they spoke, but by how well the event flowed. Not by how many laughs they got, but by how comfortable everyone else looked.

The microphone is not a mirror. It is a bridge.

Build it well, and people will cross effortlessly. Turn it into a stage for yourself, and soon enough, the audience will start looking for another way across.

Until next time, stay on cue.

Kafui Dey is the author of How to MC Any Event. Contact him on 233 240 299 122 or [email protected]

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