The Attorney‑General (A‑G) informed the Supreme Court that Kotoka International Airport remains the legal name of Ghana’s flagship airport because the legislative process to rename it Accra International Airport has not yet been completed.
The case was brought by Austin Kwabena Brako‑Powers, who seeks a declaration that the government’s decision to rename the airport without first amending NLCD 339 is unconstitutional. Brako‑Powers questions whether the proposed change can lawfully proceed while the decree establishing the General Kotoka Trust remains in force.
In its affidavit, the government reiterated that the General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969 (NLCD 339) is still operative and that the renaming must go through Parliament before it can take legal effect. The affidavit, deposed to by Assistant State Attorney Mamavi Owusu‑Aboagye, outlined the steps required to implement the renaming, including changes to statutory instruments, official documents, airport signage, digital platforms and aviation publications.
The government said the Accra International Airport Bill, 2026, has been prepared, received Cabinet approval and signed by the Minister for Transport, and is ready to be presented to Parliament. It also denied any interference with the trust established in honour of the late General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, noting that no beneficiary has been deprived of any benefit and no obligation under the trust has been rendered unenforceable.
The Attorney‑General argued that the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the suit because the plaintiff has not raised a genuine question of constitutional interpretation or enforcement. He described the complaint as a statutory matter concerning NLCD 339, not a constitutional issue, and claimed that granting the injunctions sought by the plaintiff would halt the legislative process before Parliament had a chance to consider the proposed law.
The case remains pending before the Supreme Court, with the court yet to rule on the merits of the A‑G’s arguments or the plaintiff’s claims.
