Ghana restores the name Accra International Airport
The airport named after Lt-Gen Emmanuel Kotoka in 1969 has gone back to its original name.
Key points
- Ghana’s main airport, Kotoka International Airport, was officially renamed Accra International Airport on 23 February 2026.
- It restores the name the airport had before 1969, when it was renamed after Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka.
- The Transport Ministry said operations, safety and travel are not affected; the airport code remains ACC.
Ghana's main international airport has its original name back. On 23 February 2026, the government officially renamed Kotoka International Airport as Accra International Airport.
A return to the original name
The airport began as a British Royal Air Force base during the Second World War and was handed over to civilian administration in 1956. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, developed it into a passenger terminal and named it Accra International Airport.
In 1969, it was renamed after Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, one of the leaders of the 1966 coup that overthrew Nkrumah, who was killed during a failed counter-coup in 1967.
The Ministry of Transport said it was appropriate to restore the airport's "former and internationally recognised name".
No change for travellers
The ministry said the change does not affect airport operations, safety standards or international travel. In the records of the International Civil Aviation Organization, the airport code has always been ACC.
Why it matters
Names of public places carry political meaning. The renaming reopens debate about how Ghana remembers its post-independence history, even as the country focuses on growing Accra as a travel and business hub, helped by new agreements such as visa-free travel with Zambia.
Sources
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