The government has announced plans to rename Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport, pending parliamentary approval.

Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga revealed the decision while speaking to journalists ahead of the first sitting of the Second Session of the 9th Parliament.on Tuesday, February 3, 2026,

He explained that the airport was originally called Accra International Airport, but its name was later changed.

“It is not fair to the people of Accra that they gave out their land for the construction of an airport that was named after them, and the one who received the land changed it and named it with his name,” he said.

“To honour the people who gave the land, government is going back to using it,” he added.

A bill to formalise the change will be introduced in Parliament by the Transport Minister.

“Government intends to rename Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport,” the Majority Leader said, noting that the bill would be presented in line with established procedures.

In February last year, the Democracy Hub, in partnership with the Convention People’s Party (CPP), took legal action at the Supreme Court to push for a change in the name of Ghana’s international airport, Kotoka.

They asserted that associating the facility with Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka goes against the country’s democratic values, as he was instrumental in the 1966 government takeover.

“For 59 years, Ghana has lived with the contradiction of denouncing coups while honouring one of the architects of the first military overthrow of an elected government,” the group stated.

The CPP and advocacy group Democracy Hub contended that the continued use of Kotoka’s name for the country’s main airport represents an official approval of military takeovers. They argue that renaming the facility would reinforce Ghana’s dedication to democratic governance.

“It is time for Ghana to make a clear statement that it stands against unconstitutional rule, not just in rhetoric but in practice,” the statement added.

This court case, initiated with the support of legal professionals from Merton & Everett LLP, follows in-depth historical and legal examinations.

Democracy Hub appealed to civic organizations, youth movements, and champions of democracy to endorse the lawsuit, describing it as “more than a legal battle—this is about confronting our history.”

Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (26 September 1926 – 17 April 1967) played a key role in the National Liberation Council, the military administration that ousted Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s government through a coup on 24 February 1966.

Prominent among those calling for the airport’s name to be changed back is Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah, daughter of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. She has repeatedly suggested that the facility should return to its original name, Accra International Airport.

The airport originally served as a military base for the British Royal Air Force during World War II before being handed over to civilian authorities. In 1956, under President Kwame Nkrumah, a project was launched to convert the site into a passenger terminal.

The project was completed in 1958, transforming the former military installation into a civilian airport capable of handling about 500,000 passengers a year. It was initially called Accra International Airport.

However, in 1969, the airport was renamed Kotoka International Airport in honor of Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (1926–1967), a member of the National Liberation Council who was killed during a failed coup attempt at what is now the airport’s forecourt.