Ismaila

Ismaila Alfa is the host of of Up To Speed on CBC Radio One 89.3 FM / 990 AM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ismaila Alfa was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and Canadian mother. In fact, his mom hails from Pipestone, Manitoba. He completed his early school years in Edmonton, wrapping up his middle and senior school years in Winnipeg. He pursued a civil engineering degree at the University of Manitoba but dropped out to tour Canada and the United States as a hip hop musician for eight years. Likening his life to the movie Eight Mile, family and responsibility brought Ismaila and his vocal pipes back to Winnipeg. In January 2008, he started with CBC Radio One freelancing for the weekday morning show with Terry MacLeod and Marcy Markusa. In April 2008 he found his way into the spotlight again as Information Radio's audio technician, traffic reporter and jingle writer extraordinaire.