Ghana’s government has officially renamed Kotoka International Airport, restoring its original name, Accra International Airport, exactly 60 years after the 1966 military coup that overthrew the country’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.

 

The airport had been named after Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, one of the military officers who led the coup against Nkrumah while he was on a state visit to Asia. Kotoka was later killed in 1967 during a failed counter-coup attempt at the same airport.

 

According to BBC News, the military government that assumed power after the coup renamed the airport in 1969 in Kotoka’s honour, describing him as a “liberator” from what it considered Nkrumah’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

 

Announcing the decision on Monday, Ghana’s Transport Ministry said it had “considered it appropriate” to restore the airport’s original name to reflect a neutral national identity and align it with the capital city, Accra. Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe was quoted in local media as saying the move was intended to project unity and avoid political symbolism.

 

Authorities assured the public and international partners that the name change would not affect airport operations, safety standards or international travel.

 

However, the decision has sparked debate. According to BBC News, some critics, including Kotoka’s family, argue that the move erases his legacy and service to the nation. Parliament’s Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin described the renaming as a betrayal of the Volta Region, Kotoka’s home area, saying the airport name was one of the few national honours recognising the region.

 

On the other hand, some civil society groups have welcomed the move, arguing that celebrating a figure linked to an unconstitutional change of government contradicts Ghana’s democratic principles, BBC News reported.

 

The debate has intensified under President John Mahama, who returned to office following the December 2024 election.

 

Nkrumah led Ghana to independence in 1957 and became a leading voice in the pan-African movement. After his overthrow, Ghana experienced a series of military coups until the return to multiparty democracy in 1992. Since then, the country has recorded peaceful elections and transfers of power.

 

The renaming of the airport has reopened discussions about how Ghana should remember its political history while safeguarding its democratic values.