Expert Warns KIA Rebranding May Cost Ghana Millions
- Ghana has officially renamed Kotoka International Airport as Accra International Airport, reversing decades of honouring Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka
- An aviation expert has warned that the rebranding could cost millions, with expenses extending far beyond replacing airport signage
- The government maintained that the change restores the facility to its former, internationally recognised name and does not require legislation
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
The Government of Ghana has renamed Kotoka International Airport (KIA) as Accra International Airport (AIA).
The decision was taken on Monday, 23 February 2026, after the government scrapped plans to use legislation to effect the change from Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.
Source: UGC
Reacting to this, an aviation expert, Sean Mendis, warned that Ghana may spend millions on rebranding the airport.
In a report sighted by Citinewsroom, he explained that the rebranding would have financial implications extending beyond the replacement of physical signage at the airport.
“There will be a cost impact, but in terms of direct aviation impact, it will be virtually zero. Indirectly, the cost impact of a name change can run into hundreds of millions of dollars because it is not just the cost of changing it yourself, but also everybody else who has a link with the airport,” he explained.
“For example, every airline that has an office at the airport with letterheads indicating Kotoka International Airport will now have to reprint them. Business cards, websites, all of these will need to change,” he added.
Why the government renamed KIA
The airport was formerly known as Accra International Airport but was later named after Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, one of the key figures involved in the 1966 coup that overthrew Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The government earlier stated that it had deemed it appropriate to restore the airport to its former, internationally recognised name.
The proposed renaming followed years of calls by sections of the public and civil society groups, who argued that the current name does not reflect Ghana’s democratic values, as it honours Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a leading figure in the 1966 coup that overthrew Ghana’s first President.
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, had earlier indicated that the government planned to effect the name change through legislation.
However, the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, later clarified that the airport’s name change did not require legislation because the initial renaming to Kotoka International Airport had no legislative backing.
He explained to the press that the renaming was done by executive decree to honour Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, one of the soldiers who overthrew Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah.
“If you look at the decree, its intention was to set up a trust to take care of the families of those who were killed… There was no legislation in Parliament to operationalise it.”
Source: Facebook
APlus calls for Posthumous prosecution of Kotoka
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that Gomoa Central MP Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A Plus, had backed the government’s decision to rename Kotoka International Airport.
The former entertainer-turned-politician said the airport’s current name represented a painful chapter in Ghana’s history.
A Plus called for the posthumous prosecution of Kotoka, labelling him an enemy of the state.
Source: YEN.com.gh
