Pan-African groups call for renaming of airport after Kwame Nkrumah

By Laudia Sawer

Tema, Jan. 30, GNA – The Marcus Mosiah Garvey Foundation (MMGF) and the Afro Continental Union Consult (ACUC) have called on President John Dramani Mahama to rename the Kotoka International Airport in honour of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

They made the appeal in a joint statement copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and signed by Ms. Naomi Palmer-Buchanan and Dr. Benjamin Anyagre Aziginaateeg, chief executive officers, for the MMGF and ACUC, respectively.

They noted that “The statue of Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, previously displayed at the Accra International Airport, has been removed due to its perceived irrelevance and the negative image it projected for what is recognised as a once vibrant Pan-African republic, Ghana.”

According to them, the relocation of the old international airport to its current site was significant, adding that therefore, continuing to use the name “Kotoka International Airport” was considered a mistake by progressive Pan-Africans.

“The sovereign spirit of Ghana and the essence of Pan-Africanism are not represented by the name Kotoka International Airport, located in Accra, as it offends the African identity and dignity of Black people.

Ghana must not continue to honor the dark legacy of the 1966 coup, which interrupted the rapid growth of Pan-Africanism, especially since Ghana is its central hub,” they added.

According to the groups, it was inappropriate to maintain a name for the capital’s main airport that does not reflect the country’s values, stressing that the nation’s primary entry and exit points should be named after heroes, not traitors.

They mentioned that O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa; Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport in Angola; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, located in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja; Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya; and the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Zimbabwe, among others, are examples.

They indicated that “The movement to rename Ghana’s international airport should no longer be treated as a “political game”; instead, it should focus on the pursuit of truth.”

They called on Africans living in their homeland, as well as those of African descent around the world, to advocate for renaming Ghana’s national capital airport as the Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah International Airport.

According to them, this name not only pays tribute to one of the nation’s greatest leaders but also embodies the spirit of Ghana’s independence and vision for the future.

“Renaming the airport in his honor would serve as a vibrant reminder of our rich heritage and aspirations on the global stage.”

GNA