Introduction
On 24 February 1966, Ghana’s trajectory as a beacon of African independence was violently disrupted. The military coup, led by Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, toppled Kwame Nkrumah—Ghana’s visionary first president—and plunged the nation into a spiral of instability that haunts it still. Before 1966, Ghana thrived under Nkrumah’s ambitious leadership: a robust economy fuelled by cocoa, a political framework fostering unity, and an industrial revolution poised to transform the continent. Post-1966, this promise unravelled—replaced by economic stagnation, political turmoil, and a legacy of betrayal epitomised by Kotoka’s name on our international airport. This portrait of Ghana after 1966 reveals a nation derailed, a cautionary tale that fuels today’s urgent call to rename Kotoka International Airport and reclaim our pride.
Economic Decline: From Prosperity to Peril
Pre-1966, Ghana’s economy was a marvel. With £200 million in reserves at independence in 1957 (over £5 billion today), Nkrumah leveraged cocoa—a global titan producing 450,000 tonnes by 1964-65—to fund development. GDP growth averaged 5% annually, and diversification into rubber and palm oil signalled resilience. The coup shattered this foundation. The National Liberation Council (NLC), under Kotoka and allies like Joseph Ankrah, inherited a £80 million surplus but squandered it. By 1969, reserves dwindled to near zero as cocoa prices fell from £250 to £180 per tonne, exacerbated by mismanagement and halted investments.
The Second Five-Year Plan (1959-1964) had envisioned sustained growth, but post-1966 regimes pivoted to austerity, slashing state-led projects. External debt ballooned from £250 million in 1966 to £450 million by 1972 under Kofi Busia’s Progress Party, a debt-to-GDP ratio soaring past 50%. Inflation spiked—reaching 20% by 1971—eroding purchasing power and plunging rural farmers into poverty. Kotoka’s coup didn’t just oust a leader; it betrayed an economic vision, leaving Ghana a shadow of its prosperous past—a decline we must acknowledge by renaming our airport to honour progress, not betrayal.
Political Instability: A Coup’s Lasting Echoes
Nkrumah’s Ghana enjoyed nine years of relative stability, a rarity in a region soon plagued by coups. His Convention People’s Party (CPP) unified a diverse nation, while his Pan-African clout made Ghana a liberation hub. The 1966 coup—backed by Kotoka and foreign interests like the CIA—unleashed a torrent of political chaos. The NLC’s military rule (1966-1969) dismantled civilian governance, banning parties and imprisoning dissenters under decrees like the Kotoka Trust Decree, which named the airport in 1969 after Kotoka’s death in a failed counter-coup.
This set a precedent for instability. Busia’s civilian government (1969-1972) fell to Ignatius Acheampong’s coup, followed by Jerry Rawlings’ takeovers in 1979 and 1981. Between 1966 and 1981, Ghana endured five coups, each eroding democratic norms. The 1992 Constitution, born under Rawlings’ junta, retains indemnity clauses shielding coup-makers—contradicting Ghana’s democratic aspirations. Kotoka’s name on our airport glorifies this betrayal, a daily reminder of lost stability we must end by signing the petition at https://chng.it/qFWx8X4KzQ.
Industrial Ambitions Stifled
Nkrumah’s industrial revolution was Ghana’s heartbeat. The Akosombo Dam (completed 1965) promised energy self-sufficiency, powering nascent industries like the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO). Tema’s 40 factories churned out cement, textiles, and steel—250,000 tonnes of cement annually by 1966—while 1,600 kilometres of roads and 672,000 school enrolments signalled a modernising nation. Kotoka’s coup stalled this momentum. VALCO languished at 20% capacity by 1970, crippled by funding cuts under the NLC. Tema’s industrial output halved by 1972 as Busia’s policies favoured imports over production.
The £20 million Takoradi port expansion stalled, and state enterprises like the Ghana National Trading Corporation withered under neglect. By 1980, industrial GDP contribution dropped from 20% in 1965 to 10%, a collapse tied to the coup’s disruption. Naming our airport after Kotoka—a figure who extinguished this industrial dawn—mocks Ghana’s potential. We must rename it to reflect ambition, not betrayal—join us at https://powerafrika.com/rename-kotoka-airport/.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Ghana’s Destiny
After 1966, Ghana’s portrait is one of squandered promise—economic decline, political chaos, and industrial ruin—all tracing back to Kotoka’s betrayal of Nkrumah’s vision. For nine years, Ghana soared as a titan of African progress; post-coup, it stumbled under regimes that prioritised power over people. Kotoka International Airport stands as a monument to this fall—a name that glorifies division when Ghana craves unity.
PowerAfrika calls for change. Renaming the airport isn’t just symbolic—it’s a rejection of betrayal’s legacy, a step to reclaim Nkrumah’s dream of a united, thriving Ghana. Sign the petition at https://chng.it/qFWx8X4KzQ—over 1,000 Ghanaians have—and visit https://powerafrika.com/rename-kotoka-airport/ to join the movement. On X, amplify this with @shangoz using #RenameKotoka and #EndBetrayalGhana. Ghana’s post-1966 story is a wound; renaming Kotoka is the healing we deserve.