Nana Asante Bediatuo was the Secretary to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Nana Asante Bediatuo, the Secretary to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when he was in office, has criticised the government’s plan to rename the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Speaking in an interview with Asempa FM on February 4, 2026, Asante Bediatuo rejected assertions that the airport cannot be named after Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka because he masterminded the coup which ousted Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He asserted that Lieutenant Colonel Kotoka, through his coup, freed the people of Ghana from the oppressive Convention People’s Party (CPP) government led by Nkrumah.
“If that is what the government wants to do, fine. But the freedom we have in our democracy is so important, unless we don’t rate it that highly. It is so important; it is the lifeblood of society, of any republic, to have freedom, to have freedom of expression, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press.
“Those are important. And I think in liberating ourselves from the 1966 regime of the CPP and Dr Nkrumah, it is an important statement that Ghanaians want this freedom. And I think that is what Kotoka represents,” he said.
The former Secretary to the President also rebuffed arguments that the gateway to Ghana cannot be named after someone who ousted Nkrumah, who is regarded as an icon of freedom in the world.
“For me, Kotoka being a symbol of freedom and liberty in our country is more important than perhaps showing the world that Nkrumah was overthrown because of this and that,” he said.
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The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, while addressing journalists at the first sitting of the Second Session of the 9th Parliament on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, announced the government’s plans to change the name of Kotoka International Airport.
He stated that a bill will soon be laid before Parliament by the Minister of Transport to rename the country’s main international airport from Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.
“We are changing the name of our airport from Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport. A bill will be brought by the Minister for Transport to facilitate this change. The Accra International Airport Bill will also come,” he said.
The announcement has divided the public, with a faction stating that the renaming is apt because the airport should not be named after the person who led the overthrow of the country’s first president.
The rest have argued that there is no need for renaming the airport.
Watch a video of Asante Bediatuo’s remarks below:
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#TrendingGH: Watch some Ghanaians react to proposed renaming of Kotoka International Airport:
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