Airport name change appropriate - Bishop Mensah
The immediate past Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Church International (FGCI), Dr Samuel Nii-Noi Mensah, has described the renaming of Kotoka International Airport to the Accra International Airport as a significant step towards strengthening Ghana’s democratic values and national identity.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, Bishop Mensah said removing the name “Kotoka” from Ghana’s main international gateway was long overdue, as it symbolised military intervention in Ghana’s political history.
“The name Kotoka represents a coup d’etat. Reversing that name is welcome because it clearly signals that coups have no legitimacy in our democratic dispensation,” he said.
Renaming
While expressing satisfaction with the restoration of the neutral name Accra International Airport, Bishop Mensah reiterated his long-standing view that Ghana’s premier airport should have ultimately been named after the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He argued that the 1966 overthrow of Dr Nkrumah must be re-examined with the benefit of hindsight and within the broader context of Cold War geopolitics.
He said the 1966 coup was influenced by external forces, particularly the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which viewed Nkrumah’s Pan-African vision and push for self-reliance as a threat to Western interests.
“At the time, we were narrow-minded and myopic.
We focused on bread and butter issues, while Nkrumah was thinking about building a highly developed country that could stand on its own,” he said.
Bishop Mensah noted that the reversion to the Accra International Airport has reignited a broader national debate about the symbols Ghana chooses to honour its heroes.
He opined that naming the airport after Dr Nkrumah would have followed international precedents such as the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the Mohammed V International Airport and the John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Bishop Mensah described Dr Nkrumah as one of the greatest leaders of the past millennium, stressing that “his vision, influence and global impact remain unmatched.”
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