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Claim: A WhatsApp user said that Ghana’s ex-President John Mahama has asked for the Kumasi International Airport to be renamed after the country’s founding President, Kwame Nkrumah.
Verdict: This is false. Investigations by DUBAWA have shown that the ex-Ghanaian leader did not make the claim attributed to him. Also, Mr Mahama has disputed the claim, describing it as “misinformation and disinformation.”
Full Text
Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, commissioned a newly constructed Prempeh I International Airport on May 10, 2023.
The airport, formerly Kumasi International Airport, was renamed after Nana Prempeh I, the late Asantehene of the Ashanti Region.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the current Asantehene of the Ashanti Region, party faithful, and other dignitaries.
Hours after the ceremony, a flyer that made the rounds on WhatsApp alleged that the former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, had said that the newly constructed airport should have been named after Kwame Nkrumah, not the late Asantehene.
“Kumasi International Airport should have been renamed after Kwame Nkrumah not Prempeh,” the ex-Ghanaian leader reportedly said.
The flyer was shared wildly on other social media platforms, here, here, and here.
DUBAWA decided to investigate this claim in its fight against misinformation and disinformation ahead of Ghana’s 2024 election.
Verification
Considering the controversial nature of the claim, the ex-Ghanaian leader would have made headlines in the country if he made the comment attributed to him.
A Google keyword search by DUBAWA showed no evidence online to support the claim attributed to Mr Mahama. There is no publication by any credible media outlet in Ghana on the issue.
Further investigations by DUBAWA have shown that the ex-Ghanaian leader, John Mahama, did not make the claim attributed to him. He has disputed the claim and described it as “misinformation and disinformation.”
Writing on X (formerly Twitter) on May 12, 2024, Mr Mahama said:
“They won’t stop the misinformation and disinformation.”
DUBAWA later contacted a journalist at Ultimate FM, the media organisation purported to have originated the flyer.
However, Justice Bediako, a reporter with Ultimate FM, said they did not create the purported flyer.
Conclusion
It is not true that the former Ghanaian President John Mahama has asked for the Kumasi International Airport to be renamed after Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
