Kwesi Pratt Jnr Defends Airport Renaming, Says Kotoka Symbolised Foreign Control Over Ghana

Veteran journalist and activist Kwesi Pratt has defended the decision to remove the name Kotoka from Ghana’s international airport, arguing that the name represented the subversion of Ghana’s national sovereignty rather than national pride.

He was speaking at a public forum organised by the Socialist Movement of Ghana, in collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, to mark what organisers described as Ghana’s “Day of Shame”, sixty years after the overthrow of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The forum, held on Tuesday at the Socialist Movement of Ghana headquarters in Dzowulu, focused on the theme “60 Years After Ghana’s Day of Shame, Imperialism on the Rampage.”

Kwesi Pratt said his support for the airport’s new name, Accra International Airport, had nothing to do with arguments that the land belonged to the people of Accra. He explained that the former name glorified a period when Ghana’s democratic order and independence were overturned with foreign backing.

According to him, retaining such a name distorted Ghana’s history and celebrated an act that undermined the country’s sovereignty. He added that removing the name was necessary to correct the historical record and honour Ghana’s struggle for true independence.
The forum also featured a contribution from former leader of the New York Black Panther Party, Dhoruba bin Wahad, who spoke on imperialism and global power relations.

He argued that North African states often distance themselves from African identity, describing themselves as Arab rather than African. He cited recent political and sporting events as evidence of this divide and said the term “Arab Spring” itself reflected how North African uprisings were framed outside the African context.

Dhoruba bin Wahad further raised concerns about modern forms of exploitation on the continent, including reports of human trafficking and slavery in parts of North Africa, as well as political alliances that, in his view, reinforce global imperial interests.

Organisers of the forum said the event was meant to spark critical reflection on Ghana’s history, the continuing influence of imperialism, and the need for Africans to reclaim control over their political, economic, and cultural narratives.