Kojo Nnamdi

Kojo Nnamdi is host of The Kojo Nnamdi Show, a live talk show produced by WAMU 88.5 that airs weekdays at noon. On Fridays at noon, Nnamdi hosts The Politics Hour on WAMU 88.5.

“Maybe the best radio interviewer in town” according to The Washington Post, Nnamdi welcomes a lineup of interesting and provocative guests who offer new perspectives about current events, political issues, social policy, art, science and other topics. The show encourages listener calls, creating a dynamic dialogue about issues that are important or interesting to the Washington, D.C., region.

Nnamdi is a native of Guyana who immigrated to the United States in 1968 to attend college and explore the civil rights movement. From 1985 to 2011, he hosted Evening Exchange, a public affairs television program broadcast by WHUT-TV at Howard University. From 1973 to 1985, Nnamdi worked at WHUR-FM, where he served as news editor and then news director, producing the award-winning local news program The Daily Drum.

In 2003, the Library of Congress selected Nnamdi as the keynote speaker for African American History Month, and in 2001, he was honored as a civil rights hero by the National Council for Community Justice.

In 2005, he was named a “Washingtonian of the Year” by Washingtonian magazine, saying, “Radio is more fun, more intimate than TV. I always want to make sure people are listening to something that helps them make intelligent decisions about their lives.” DCist, “a website about the Washington, D.C. area and everything that happens there,” named Nnamdi one of “DC’s Most Influential People” in 2007. Also in 2007, Washingtonian named Nnamdi one of the “150 Most Influential People in Washington.”

In addition to his hosting duties, Nnamdi has chaired the board of the Public Access Corporation of Washington, D.C., since 1997. He is also active in Guyaid, an organization devoted to the welfare of children in Guyana. In 2014 he was inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists D.C. chapter’s Hall of Fame, and in 2018, he was inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame Society. The Kojo Nnamdi Show has won numerous awards, including multiple PRNDI and AP honors, as well as the National Association of Black Broadcasters Salute to Excellence award.

Nnamdi served on the Board of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center from 2003-2008. A proud nationalized American citizen for more than 20 years, his passions include cricket, Caribbean Carnival, poetry, jazz and jogging.