The Kumasi International Airport will, after its commissioning and operationalization, stand to immortalize the memory and name of Otumfuo Agyeman Prempeh I, the 13th Monarch of the Asante Kingdom.
The facility will be a compensation for the demolished legacy of the late King.
On February 27, 2024, during the presentation of the State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced a decision to name the facility after Prempeh I who sacrificed himself for exile in exchange to save Asanteman another round of a devastating battle with the British.
He returned from exile in November 1924 and this year marks exactly 100 years.
The decision to name airport after him by the President was linked to the 100th anniversary; however, it has a broader perspective.
This was decoded by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II when the Management of the Ghana Airports Company (GACL) led by the Minister for Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah updated him about the completion of the terminal.
His Majesty in his submission disclosed the late King owned a house at the location of the expanded airport.
During his reign, he recounted, the house which was near the then Kumasi Airport, served as a place of relaxation during his leave of absence.
The building, which would have kept the memory of the King alive was demolished to make way for the expansion of the airport into an international facility.
“That was where Nana used to take his rest. He had a house there. When it was time to expand the airport, the Brazilians came to seek my permission to demolish it. The location housed his residence. Whenever he needed to take a leave of absence, he went there.
“The apartment was there during the days of the Kumasi airport. Not many people knew about it. When the President suggested the name, I told him it was a step in the right direction.”
His Majesty used the occasion to express his gratitude to the President for the decision.
“I thank the President for deciding to name the facility after Nana Agyeman Prempeh I,” he said during the courtesy call April 22, 2024.
This will be a bigger indemnity to the demolished legacy of the celebrated King.
Source: Manhyia Palace
