These personalities want the airport to be renamed
Debates have been intensifying over Ghana’s national memory and the personalities it chooses to honour, with a growing number of public figures called for the renaming of Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in particular.
These critics argue that the airport, Ghana’s main gateway to the world, should not bear the name of a soldier associated with the 1966 coup that overthrew Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
This GhanaWeb listicle highlights some of the prominent personalities who have called for the renaming of the Kotoka International Airport.
Below are some of the notable names in Ghana who have publicly supported such a move.
1. Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah
Former Member of Parliament and daughter of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Samia Nkrumah, has consistently supported calls to remove Kotoka’s name from the airport.
She maintains that it is historically inconsistent for Ghana to honour, at such a symbolic site, a figure linked to the overthrow of the country’s first democratically-elected government.
Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of The Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has openly backed the renaming campaign.
He has described the current name as a reminder of a painful chapter in Ghana’s political history and has urged the state to take steps to correct what he sees as a long-standing anomaly.
3. Vitus Azeem
The anti-corruption campaigner has also added his voice to the debates, calling for the airport to be renamed in honour of Dr Kwame Nkrumah instead.
According to him, national monuments and institutions should celebrate figures who contributed positively to Ghana’s independence and development, and not the other way around.
4. Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM)
The media personality and satirist has publicly criticised the continued use of the Kotoka name, describing it as an affront to Ghana’s history.
Ghana’s gateway to the world should reflect our founding ideals, not a coup era – Odarteifio
KSM has argued that successive governments have failed to confront the symbolism of honouring a coup leader at the country’s main international airport.
5. Johnson Asiedu Nketia
The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), popularly known as ‘General Mosquito,’ has also weighed in, questioning why the airport is named after Kotoka despite his lack of direct involvement in its development.
He supports efforts to rename the facility in line with national values and historical consistency.
6. Steven Nhyira Odarteifio
Convener of an ongoing campaign to rename Kotoka International Airport, Steven Odarteifio, has been at the forefront of this recent advocacy.
He argues that an airport is a powerful national symbol and should reflect Ghana’s founding ideals rather than commemorate a coup-era figure.
He has led media engagements and public forums pressing the case for a name change.
How can we honour an overthrow at the very door of the republic? – Odarteifio
Kotoka International Airport is named after Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in the February 24, 1966, coup that toppled Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
While supporters of the name see it as part of Ghana’s complex history, critics believe the country’s most prominent gateway should honour figures associated with unity, independence and democratic rule.
The debate remains ongoing, with advocates hoping sustained public pressure will eventually lead to a formal review and possible renaming of the airport.
MRA/AE
How can we honour an overthrow at the door of the Republic – Odarteifio asks
