By: Bernard Mensah
February 4, 2026
The Volta Regional Representative of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has strongly opposed plans by the government to rename Kotoka International Airport (KIA) as Accra International Airport, describing the move as a misplaced national priority that offers no measurable economic benefit.
In a press statement dated February 2, 2026, the NDPC official said reports indicating that the Majority Leader, through the Ministry of Transport, intends to introduce a bill in Parliament to effect the name change are deeply concerning, particularly at a time of fiscal strain and mounting public debt.
According to the statement, renaming the country’s main international airport does not address any pressing national problem nor improve the airport’s operational efficiency, safety, connectivity, or competitiveness.
Drawing on global aviation practice, the NDPC representative noted that many major international airports across the world are named after national figures, reformers, and heroes, stressing that such naming conventions have not undermined their efficiency or global recognition.
“International airports are strategic economic assets,” the statement emphasized, adding that their true value lies in efficiency, cost competitiveness, cargo capacity, passenger experience, and their ability to attract airlines, trade, tourism, and investment—not in cosmetic rebranding.
The statement further argued that renaming Kotoka International Airport would impose additional costs, including parliamentary time, administrative resources, rebranding expenses, and system updates across global aviation, logistics, and digital platforms.
It warned that diverting institutional focus and public funds to symbolic changes risks undermining more urgent priorities such as improving safety systems, enhancing passenger experience, expanding cargo handling capacity, and positioning Accra as a competitive regional aviation hub.
The NDPC representative also raised broader governance concerns, noting that public confidence in government decision-making is strengthened when policies are clearly aligned with national development priorities and sequenced according to urgency and impact.
“At a time when Ghana’s aviation sector requires reforms that matter—lower operating costs, improved efficiency, expanded cargo and logistics capacity, and a coherent hub strategy—cosmetic renaming exercises do little to generate growth, jobs, or foreign exchange,” the statement concluded.
The official called on policymakers to resist the proposed renaming and instead focus on substantive reforms that deliver tangible economic benefits to the country.
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