The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has opposed to the government’s proposal to rename Kotoka International Airport.
His response comes after the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, announced that the government plans 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.
At the briefing, Mr Ayariga explained that the proposed renaming would be carried out through legislation to be presented to Parliament by the Minister for Transport, Joseph Nikpe.
Reacting to the announcement in an interview with journalists, Mr Afenyo-Markin defended the existing name of the airport and raised concerns about the decision to rename it, describing the move as unnecessary.
“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.
Mr Afenyo-Markin questioned the rationale behind the move, arguing that the name represents one of the few national recognitions linked to the Volta Region.
“How many prominent Voltarians have their names on national assets or monuments? This is the only thing the people of Volta can also see as something that recognises heroism from the Volta Region, and they’re being denied,” he stated.
He added that successive governments had retained the name and accused current NDC leaders from the Volta Region of remaining silent on the issue.
He described the move as an indictment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and urged key figures within the party, particularly those from the Volta Region, to oppose the proposal.
“Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, NDC General Secretary Fifi Kwetey, Foreign Affairs Minister Okudzeto Ablakwa, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor are all from Volta, they’re in government and are watching Volta lose its pride. It’s up to them,” he said.
TAGGED:Accra International AirportAlexander Afenyo-MarkinKotoka International AirportMinority Leaderrenaming
SOURCES:The Ghana Report
