The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has strongly opposed the government’s decision to rename the Kotoka International Airport.
His reaction follows an announcement by the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, that the government intends to change the name of Ghana’s main international airport from Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to Accra International Airport.
The announcement was made during a leadership media briefing ahead of the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. According to Mr Ayariga, the proposed change would be carried out through legislation to be presented to Parliament by the Minister for Transport, Joseph Nikpe.
Speaking to journalists after the announcement, Mr Afenyo-Markin defended the current name of the airport, arguing that there was no justification for removing General Kotoka’s name.
“All these years, we’ve had General Kotoka’s name on the airport, and suddenly it’s being changed. The name Kotoka International Airport, Accra, is already there, so you don’t need to remove Kotoka’s name,” he said.
He questioned the motivation behind the proposal and cautioned against what he described as unnecessary alterations to national symbols.
