Although the debate over the renaming of Kotoka International Airport (KIA) may sound political and symbolic, the Volta Regional Commissioner of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, says it comes with real and avoidable costs.
According to Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, the move by the government will not come cheap but at a huge cost, which will come at a time Ghana can least afford it.
In a press statement on the proposal to rebrand the country’s main international gateway, Dr. Apetorgbor cautioned that changing the airport’s name is far from cost-free, even if the costs are not immediately visible in a budget line.
In the statement cited by The High Street Journal, he recounted that at the most obvious level, the process would consume parliamentary time and administrative capacity, drawing attention away from more urgent legislative and policy priorities.
Beyond these, there are implicit costs and explicit costs. The costs include rebranding and system update expenses, from aviation databases and ticketing systems to logistics platforms, digital maps, international airline records, and global travel directories.
More subtly, Dr. Apetorgbor warned of opportunity costs. Every cedi and every hour spent on a symbolic renaming exercise, he said, is capacity diverted from pressing needs such as improving airport safety systems, enhancing passenger experience, upgrading cargo handling, and positioning Accra as a competitive regional aviation hub.
“Renaming a major international airport is not cost-free. It requires parliamentary time, administrative capacity, and rebranding and system update expenses across global aviation, logistics, and digital platforms,” he noted.
He further noted that, “Every cedi and every unit of institutional focus devoted to symbolic change is capacity diverted from urgent priorities, improving safety systems, passenger experience, cargo handling, and positioning Accra as a competitive regional aviation hub.”
Equally important, he noted that Kotoka International Airport is already deeply embedded in global aviation systems. In international air transport, stability and predictability are assets. Many countries, he noted, deliberately retain long-established airport names while focusing reform efforts on efficiency, service quality, and commercial competitiveness.
He further added that the proposal raises matters of public confidence concern. Dr. Apetorgbor explains that public confidence is strengthened when government action is clearly aligned with national development priorities and sequenced according to urgency and impact.
For him, pushing initiatives with limited economic value amid fiscal strain, rising debt, and infrastructure needs risks sending the wrong signal to citizens.
In his view, Ghana’s aviation sector does not need cosmetic changes. What it needs are reforms that matter: lower operating costs for airlines, improved efficiency, expanded cargo and logistics capacity, and a coherent strategy to make Accra a true West African aviation hub.
