At a time of severe economic strain, the idea of spending between US$5 million and US$7 million to rename Kotoka International Airport is not only misguided — it is morally indefensible.
According to aviation experts, renaming a major international airport is a capital-intensive and technically complex process. It involves replacing extensive signage across terminals and arterial roads, updating global aviation systems and international reservation platforms such as Amadeus and Sabre, amending ICAO and security databases, revising legal and administrative documents, and undertaking a full rebranding exercise. For a high-traffic airport like Kotoka, these changes come at a steep cost — a cost Ghana can ill afford.
This editorial is not about history or symbolism. It is about priorities.
Ghana is currently under an IMF programme. Government officials regularly admonish citizens to accept hardship, sacrifice, and austerity. Nurses complain of unpaid allowances. Teachers lack teaching materials. Students learn under trees. Market women struggle to access even modest credit to sustain their businesses. And yet, in the midst of this crisis, millions of scarce public dollars may be committed to a purely symbolic exercise that delivers no economic value, no jobs, and no social relief.
This contradiction is staggering.
For the same amount of money earmarked for renaming an airport, the state could build classroom blocks in deprived communities, expand scholarship schemes for tertiary students, upgrade primary healthcare facilities, or establish revolving loan schemes for market women and small traders who form the backbone of the informal economy.
Instead, the country is being dragged into a debate that appears more about political posturing than national development.
The lack of transparency surrounding the proposal only deepens public mistrust. Government has not published a cost-benefit analysis, disclosed the funding source, or explained the procurement process. In such circumstances, public suspicion is inevitable. Ghanaians are entitled to ask whether this exercise opens the door to inflated contracts, kickbacks, or the diversion of public funds for partisan interests.
These questions are not cynical; they are necessary — especially in a country where public procurement remains one of the biggest leakages of state resources.
An airport is an economic gateway, not a political billboard. Its name does not lower airfares, attract investment, or improve passenger experience. Efficient management, safety, connectivity, and competitiveness do.
If government insists on proceeding, it owes the nation full disclosure: the exact cost, the financing plan, the procurement method, and the tangible benefits expected. Anything short of this will confirm fears that the project is wasteful, ill-timed, and disconnected from the daily struggles of ordinary Ghanaians.
Ghana does not need cosmetic nationalism.
Ghana needs discipline, development, and direction.
Until basic needs are met and the economy stabilised, pouring millions into renaming an airport is not leadership — it is misplaced arrogance at public expense.
EDITORIAL: Renaming Kotoka International Airport Is a National Distraction Ghana Cannot Afford
