The Attorney-General has told the Supreme Court that the country’s international airport is still legally known as Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
According to the A-G, the move to rename it Accra International Airport (AIA) is not complete because the Bill to give effect to the change has not been passed by Parliament.
The clarification is contained in the government’s response to a suit filed by legal practitioner, Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers.
Brako-Powers is asking the court to declare as unconstitutional, the government’s decision to rename the airport without first amending the General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969 (NLCD 339), which established a trust in honour of the late Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka.
The A-G, however, argues that the Decree is still in force and that the government has not breached it.
In an affidavit sworn by Assistant State Attorney, Mamavi Owusu-Aboagye, the A-G said the public announcement of the proposed new name did not in law change the Airport’s name.
She explained that Exhibit AG8 attached to the filing clearly lists outstanding steps such as amendments to statutory instruments, official documents, signage, digital platforms and aviation publications – an indication that the renaming was yet to take legal effect.
The affidavit said the Accra International Airport Bill, 2026, has gone through Cabinet and has been signed by the Minister of Transport and is ready to be laid before Parliament.
“The General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969 (NLCD 339) remains fully intact and operative as part of the laws of Ghana. The Airport’s legal name under Ghanaian law continues to be Kotoka International Airport,” the affidavit stated.
Government also said it had not interfered with the Kotoka Trust and that no beneficiary had been denied any benefit under it.
On the processes so far, the A-G said a draft Bill was first sent to the Ministry of Transport on August 21, 2025, for onward submission to Cabinet. The Ministry sought Cabinet approval on November 10, 2025, which was granted on December 9, 2025.
The decision was communicated to the A-G on January 23, 2026, and the Minister for Transport signed the Bill on February 10, 2026.
The A-G is also challenging the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to hear the matter, arguing that no genuine constitutional issue has been raised.
According to the A-G, the plaintiff’s complaint is about a possible breach of NLCD 339, which is a statute, not the Constitution, and the suit is therefore premature since Parliament is yet to consider the Bill.
“For this Court to grant the injunctive reliefs sought by the Plaintiff would be for the judiciary to arrest a legislative process at the very threshold of Parliament,” the A-G argued.
The case is still pending.
Lawyer prays Supreme Court to reverse renaming of Kotoka International Airport
