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Claim: Kwame Asare Obeng (Kwame A-plus), in a Facebook reel, claims Kwame Nkrumah built Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport.
Verdict: Misleading! DUBAWA’s checks reveal that the airport was built by the British Royal Air Force in 1946. However, it has undergone several reconfigurations and rehabilitations over the years.
Full Text
Social media has gone agog over the proposal to rename Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.
“We are changing the name of our airport from Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport. So the bill will be brought by the minister for transport for the name of the airport to be changed from Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport,” the majority leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, said in a press briefing.
There are differing opinions on the decision to change the name after 57 years. Several people have expressed their displeasure and agreement with the decision.
In one such opinion-sharing instance, Kwame Asare Obeng (A-plus), a member of parliament for Gomoa Central, argued that the decision is sound because the airport cannot be named after anyone other than Kwame Nkrumah, who built it.
“You cannot name an airport that was built by Kwame Nkrumah after somebody who overthrew Kwame Nkrumah. It is disrespectful, it is bad, it is disgraceful, and I am excited that his excellency the President has changed the name,” he said in the video posted on the reel by Nzema Morkeh on Facebook.
The key question is who built Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport? DUBAWA decided to probe further.
Verification
DUBAWA’s records indicate that the current Kotoka International Airport was constructed by the British Royal Air Force in 1946 and used for World War II operations. After military use, it was transferred to civilian authority.
The structure was “reconfigured” into a terminal building in response to global aviation demands in 1956 by Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president. It was named Accra International Airport and designed to serve up to 500,000 passengers annually. Ghana Airways used the terminal as its base in 1958. It was renamed Kotoka International Airport in 1969.
The Kotoka International Airport has undergone several modifications to develop it as a modern hub for air travel. The 1991-1993 phased programme rehabilitated and asphalted the runway, a control tower block, and the passenger terminal, and installed new navigational aids.
The 1997-2005 phased programme included the expansion and restructuring of the arrivals and baggage reclaim hall; the extension of the runway by 550 metres; a dedicated apron for freight aircraft; expansion of the check-in area; installation of baggage-handling and screening facilities; and construction of the terminal forecourt.
Development of the Kotoka International Airport continued in 2009, following the incorporation of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, which was mandated to plan, develop, manage, and maintain the various airports. The taxiways, main passenger apron, drainage systems, and aeronautical ground lighting systems were rehabilitated and installed.
Again, under Ghana Airport Company Limited, the development of the new Terminal 3 was initiated in Oct. 2015. However, the project was started in March 2016, completed and opened to traffic in June 2018 and Sept. 2018, respectively. Terminal 3 features modern transit facilities, a larger commercial area, six boarding bridges, and automated luggage-handling systems with a capacity of 3,000 bags per hour.
Conclusion
Although Kwame Nkrumah reconfigured the airport to meet global air travel demands, it was constructed by the British Royal Air Force. The claim that it was built by Kwame Nkrumah is misleading.
