Maj-Gen Edwin Kwamina Sam (Rtd) is a former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces
The news of renaming Ghana’s main airport from Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to Accra International Airport has sparked debates, with many individuals weighing in from different perspectives.
Among them, Maj-Gen Edwin Kwamina Sam (Rtd), former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, pointed out that the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has long viewed Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kotoka as a traitor.
In an interview with Kafui Dey, which aired on February 10, 2026, Maj-Gen Sam (Rtd) noted that while the CPP considers Kotoka a traitor for his role in the 1966 coup that toppled President Kwame Nkrumah, Kotoka was seen as a hero by many Ghanaians at the time.
According to him, after Kotoka played a key role in the military coup that overthrew Nkrumah in 1966, citizens reportedly poured bottles of whiskey on the streets to celebrate what they saw as relief from Nkrumah’s oppressive rule.
Had it not been Kotoka, Ghana would’ve experienced a one-party state with Nkrumah till he dies — Family, chiefs
“The CPP people have been fighting this deeming of the place after Kotoka because they consider him a traitor. At the time he did it, he was a hero. Now that 60 years have gone by, it’s interesting that there’s enough information on the ground to show that those who took part in that coup or whoever were influenced from outside. When they did it they were hailed by the rest of them but the basis for doing it was not correct,” he explained.
For Maj-Gen Sam, if it were up to him alone, the airport should not be renamed, as it holds historical significance. He argued that while Ghanaians hailed the coup in 1966, public memory has grown short over the years.
“As far as I’m concerned, you know, for our history… well, somebody said the other day that Britain’s Oliver Cromwell did that. He dropped the head of the king. And in the end, but still, the statue is standing only in front of the Parliament House,” he stated.
The government of Ghana announced plans to change the airport’s name during the briefing by leadership of Parliament ahead of the resumption of the Ninth Parliament on February 3, 2026.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga disclosed that the renaming would be effected through legislation to be laid before Parliament by the Minister for Transport.
The proposed renaming follows years of calls from sections of the public and civil society groups who argue that the current name does not reflect Ghana’s democratic values.
These groups contend that honouring General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a central figure in the 1966 coup that overthrew the country’s first government, is no longer appropriate.
Watch the interview below:
AK/SSM
