A renewed national debate over Ghana’s historical memory and national symbols was ignited on Monday as a youth-led advocacy group launched a campaign calling for the renaming of Kotoka International Airport in honour of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The launch, held at the Airport View Hotel in Accra, brought together civil society actors, public figures and traditional leaders to press for a change they say is long overdue, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the overthrow of Nkrumah in February 2026.
Delivering the main address, Steven Odarteifio, speaking on behalf of the conveners, said Ghana’s continued use of the name of Lt-Gen. E.K. Kotoka, a central figure in the 1966 coup for its main international gateway, unsettles the nation’s conscience and contradicts the country’s founding ideals.
“An airport is not just an airport. It is the nation’s handshake to the world,” Odarteifio said. “Yet the first word Ghana speaks to millions of visitors each year points not to our independence story, but to the memory of overthrow.”
He noted that more than 3.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2024 alone, with countless others encountering the name “Kotoka International Airport” on tickets, boarding passes, and flight announcements around the world.
“Before they learn our story, before they taste our hospitality, they have already heard one Ghanaian name over and over again,” he said. “Is that the story we want to export?”
According to the advocacy group, Kotoka’s name was placed on the airport in 1967 after his death during the failed counter-coup known as Operation Guitar Boy, one year after the overthrow of Nkrumah
They argue that while that history can be preserved in schools, museums, and books, the nation’s main gateway should reflect unity, pride, and values that uplift the national spirit.
Odarteifio cited several reasons for reconsidering the name, including the political instability introduced by the 1966 coup, the removal of Kotoka’s statue from the airport forecourt in 2000, and international practice of naming major airports after founding presidents or unifying national figures.
He pointed to examples from Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, where main airports bear the names of first presidents, and described Nkrumah as “Ghana and Africa’s most globally recognised independence symbol,” recalling his BBC Africa Millennium Award.
The group announced plans to formally petition Parliament, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary for constitutional clarity and legislative action. Appeals were also made to traditional rulers, religious leaders, and civil society to support the campaign.
Addressing President John Dramani Mahama directly, Odarteifio urged him to seize what he described as a historic opportunity to “reset” the name of the national gateway.
“This is your moment of legacy,” he said. “Let Ghana’s international gateway speak one clear sentence to the world — Kwame Nkrumah International Airport.”
The event was opened with a welcome address by veteran broadcaster and social commentator Kweku Sintim-Misa (KSM), who praised the youth spearheading the campaign and distanced himself from any attempt to claim credit for the initiative.
“I didn’t want anybody to think that KSM is hijacking this great day,” he said.
The conveners are very young, and that is what really touched me to have such a serious national agenda being led by young people.”
KSM noted that the organisers were born long after Nkrumah’s era, yet had taken it upon themselves to study Ghana’s history and identify what he called a neglect of the nation’s founding father.
“They were not even born when Nkrumah died, but they have read, they have understood, and they have realised that Ghana is not paying due attention to a very prominent figure,” he said.
He said the initiative gave him renewed hope that decades of activism and public advocacy had not been in vain.
“Today I understand that we were not talking for nothing.The youth were paying attention, listening, and imbibing what we were saying. The generation is now “woke” When you stand on the right side of history, it is something you never regret. It stays with you forever.” He said.
The advocacy group says renaming the airport after Kwame Nkrumah will help realign Ghana’s national symbols with its independence heritage and settle what it described as a long-standing contradiction in the country’s conscience.
The campaign is expected to trigger renewed public and parliamentary debate in the coming weeks over the legacy of the 1966 coup and the symbols that define modern Ghana.
Story by Osman Issah Abadoo
