Mahama urged to rename KIA

Advocates pushing for the renaming of Kotoka International Airport have placed the responsibility squarely on President John Dramani Mahama, describing the decision as a defining moment that could settle a long-standing national question.

Launching the advocacy campaign in Accra on Monday, concerned citizen Steven Odarteifio said successive governments have inherited the issue without resolving it, but insisted that the current President has a rare opportunity to close the chapter.

“This is your moment of legacy,” Odarteifio told President Mahama directly.

“Sixty years on, every constitutional leader has inherited this unresolved national question. You have the rare opportunity to be the one who finally answers it.”

The call comes as Ghana approaches the 60th anniversary of the 1966 overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a historical event Odarteifio said continues to cast a shadow over the country’s national symbols.

He argued that Ghana’s main international gateway — currently named after a coup-era figure — contradicts the values the nation claims to uphold.

“How can we, as a people, continue to honor the memory of overthrow at the very door of the Republic?” he asked.

According to the advocacy group, an airport represents more than transport infrastructure, describing it as the country’s first point of contact with the world.

“An airport is the nation’s handshake,” Odarteifio said.
“It is the first sentence Ghana speaks to the world.”

They contend that repeatedly projecting the name Kotoka — through tickets, boarding passes, airline announcements and airport screens globally — exports the memory of a coup rather than Ghana’s independence story.

“Kotoka International Airport is not a name we should be proud to project,” he stated.

The campaigners insist the push is not about erasing history but restoring balance, noting that Ghana can preserve its coup past through education and museums while ensuring that national symbols promote unity and pride.

Odarteifio also referenced President Mahama’s New Year message, in which the President challenged the youth to lead with courage and responsibility.

“At this moment, we have answered that call,” he said,
“not tomorrow, not as spectators, but as citizens.”

The group is calling for the airport to be renamed after *Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah*, whom they described as the founding father and most globally recognised symbol of Ghana’s independence and Pan-African legacy.

“Let Ghana’s international gateway speak one clear sentence to the world,”Odarteifio concluded.
“Kwame Nkrumah International Airport.”