The host and producer passed away on February 16, 2026, following a sudden illness in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Africa loses a well-known audiovisual figure on the continent and beyond. Journalist, host, and producer Consty Eka passed away on the evening of February 16, two days after presenting his news program Consty Eka Weekly News for the last time on his web media CEN TV. The sudden illness that occurred at his workplace first forced him to be taken home, then to the hospital where he passed away.
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Born Constantin Ekani Mebenga, he was nicknamed “the King of TV” due to his remarkable performances in the audiovisual sector. After inspiring several generations of viewers in Cameroon through programs he created and hosted about personalities and artists, he moved to Ivory Coast to continue his work. He established the CEN TV Media Group, where he served as CEO, as well as Voltage 2 radio. Before his experience as a media boss, he headed the CEKAM Production group. In Ivory Coast, where he consolidated his rise, he received an award in 2022 in Abidjan in recognition of his contribution to the audiovisual sector. He was also a special advisor with diplomatic rank to Sidiki Sangare Bobakar, resident representative of RCEEDA.
Tributes from the continent
“The King of TV” has passed away; Africa mourns a personality who marked its evolution over the last decades. From Ivory Coast to Cameroon, via Congo and elsewhere, personalities are paying tribute to Consty Eka. According to Cameroonian journalist and sports commentator Martin Camus Mimb, Consty Eka is gone, “the throne remains empty and quiet.” He remembers the highlights of the deceased’s career. “Since Noël en couleurs on CTV in the late 80s, he became the blueprint for all hosts in Cameroon and in Africa. He became the mirror that everyone hung on the walls of their minds, to reproduce in strong strokes the same thing on their talent.”
Journalist and academic Vincent Sosthène Fouda describes him as “the one who carried the legacy without ever boasting about it. The one who, having left the village where namesakes multiplied like blessings, had crossed Paris with the same ease as one crosses a playground.”
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For the famous Congolese singer Koffi Olomide, Consty Eka was a friend, a brother. The King of TV was not just “a great media man.” He was “a generous soul, a true heart. Behind the microphone, there was a faithful, attentive friend, always ready to lend a hand. Your voice guided us, your smile comforted us. You leave too soon, leaving us with immense pain,” the artist wrote.
Ivorian artist Meiway, for his part, insistently confirms that for the audiovisual world, Consty was a king. “Whatever the case. For music and TV, you were a king. You certified it with AMA (Africar Music Awards). In the collective musical memory, your name remains forever engraved. A memory that stays in our broken hearts,” it reads.
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