Steven Nhyira Odarteifio is the convener of the campaign to rename Kotoka International Airport
The convener of the campaign to rename Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Steven Nhyira Odarteifio, has questioned why Ghana continues to honour the memory of a military overthrow at what he describes as ‘the very door of the republic.’
Addressing the media on January 19, 2026, during an advocacy campaign calling for the renaming of the airport, Odarteifio argued that an airport represents far more than a transport hub.
“My brothers and sisters, an airport is not just an airport. It is the nation’s handshake. It is the first greeting. It is the first sentence Ghana speaks to the world,” he indicated.
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He noted that about 3.4 million passengers passed through Kotoka International Airport in 2024 alone, with thousands more arriving during peak seasons such as Christmas, particularly members of the African diaspora who returned to reconnect with their heritage.
“Many of them are drawn by the independence story of Dr Kwame Nkrumah that made Ghana famous across the world. Yet, the first word on our front door does not point to the spirit of independence, but to the memory of overthrow,” he stated.
According to him, the name ‘Kotoka International Airport’ confronts travellers repeatedly even before they arrive in Ghana.
“Before they even leave their home country, they book a flight and the destination stares back at them. Their e-ticket says it, their itinerary says it, their boarding pass says it, airline email confirmations repeat it, airport screens in London, New York, Toronto and Dubai display it. They hear it announced at departure gates, and as the plane descends, the pilot announces it again,” he said.
He stressed that by the time travellers land in Accra, they have already encountered one Ghanaian name ‘over and over and over again.’
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“Before they learn our story, before they taste our hospitality, they have already heard one Ghanaian name repeatedly. Is that the story we want to export millions of times, year after year?” he asked.
Odarteifio argued that the name Kotoka has arguably become the most repeated Ghanaian name worldwide, eclipsing figures he described as unifying national and global symbols.
“Not Kofi Annan, a global symbol of diplomacy; not Prof JB Danquah, a founding father of our republic; not President Rawlings who birthed the Fourth Republic; not President Kufuor who strengthened democratic consolidation; not President Akufo-Addo who made significant contributions to education; not President Atta Mills whose name still softens divisions rather than deepens them,” he said.
He emphasised that the campaign is not about erasing history, but about choosing what Ghana projects to the world.
“We can teach the story of Kotoka and the NLC in our schools, we can preserve it in our museums, we can debate it in our books and documentaries, but the sign at our front door must represent what unites us, what uplifts us, and what we are proud to project,” he indicated.
Watch the video below:
How can we honour an overthrow at the door of the Republic – Odarteifio asks
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