TEMA, Ghana, February 7: The Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has welcomed the government’s proposal to rename Kotoka International Airport (KIA), saying he has no objection to the move and cautioning against the introduction of tribal sentiments into the debate.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme on Saturday, February 7, Mr. Koomson stressed that the discussion surrounding the renaming of the country’s main international airport should be approached objectively and not framed along ethnic or regional lines.
According to him, the proposal to revert the airport’s name to Accra International Airport is not an attack on any ethnic group or region, but rather a matter of historical accuracy and national reflection.
The proposal has sparked intense national debate following an announcement by the Majority in Parliament on February 3, 2026, of plans to introduce a bill to change the name of Kotoka International Airport back to its original name.
The Majority argues that the move is intended to reflect Ghana’s democratic values and correct what they describe as a historical anomaly.
However, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has strongly opposed the proposal, describing it as an indictment on the heritage of the Volta Region. He argues that Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in the 1966 military coup, is one of the few individuals from the region whose name is attached to a national monument.
Supporters of the renaming, on the other hand, maintain that naming Ghana’s principal international airport after a military officer associated with a coup d’état contradicts the country’s democratic ideals and constitutional order.
Weighing in on the matter, Abraham Koomson said the issue should not be reduced to ethnicity or regional loyalty. He noted that reverting to the neutral name “Accra International Airport” would also honour the original custodians of the land on which the airport was built.
“The discussion is about history and national values, not tribalism,” Abraham Koomson stated, adding that he has no problem with the proposed change.
LISTEN TO ABRAHAM KOOMSON IN THE AUDIO BELOW:
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 🇬🇭