[NEWS] HISTORY BEHIND KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

 Ghana’s first and biggest airport was named Kotoka International Airport to honor Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a central figure in one of the most dramatic moments in Ghana’s history.

Here’s the background story:

1. The 1966 Coup Kotoka played a leading role in Operation Cold Chop—the military coup that removed President Kwame Nkrumah from power while he was away in Vietnam. This event ended the First Republic and brought in the National Liberation Council.

2. His Death on Airport Grounds

In 1967, during a failed counter-coup called Operation Guitar Boy, Kotoka was tragically killed right on the grounds of the Accra International Airport.

3. Honoring Him Two years later, in 1969, the new military government renamed the airport after him—portraying him as a man who “defended” the new regime and died at the very spot the airport stood.

So in simple terms: 

Kotoka International Airport got its name because the soldier it was named after led the 1966 coup and later d!ed on the airport grounds, prompting the government to honor him by renaming the airport in his memory..

But as it stands, the government of Ghana has reverted the airport name to Accra International Airport for obvious reasons. 

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