Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has defended government plans to rename the Kotoka International Airport as Accra International Airport, stressing that the move is not driven by political considerations.
He explained that the facility initially functioned as an air force base during the Second World War, where it was used to transport soldiers and military equipment. The airport was later converted into a civilian facility under the administration of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and named Accra International Airport.
Speaking during a tour of the State Transport Company, Mr. Nikpe said the proposed renaming forms part of a bill to be laid before Parliament and is intended, among other objectives, to promote the location identity of Ghana’s capital city.
According to him, the Ministry of Transport is expected to present several bills to Parliament as part of the government’s broader legislative agenda, with the airport renaming being one of them.
“Parliament will be expected to pass a lot of bills, and as part of the government’s agenda, we have a lot of bills from the Ministry of Transport, and one of them is the renaming of the Kotoka International Airport to its original name,” he said.
Mr. Nikpe added that restoring the airport’s original name holds symbolic importance for Ghanaians and reflects the broader African identity, insisting that the decision is being taken from a neutral standpoint.
“We are not doing this with any political thinking. We are doing this to come from a very neutral point of view,” he stated.
