The statue of General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key member of the National Liberation Council (NLC) that ousted President Kwame Nkrumah in 1966, was on Thursday de-mounted to facilitate the commencement of the second phase of the rehabilitation of the airport that is named after him. The statue was erected in 1969 in his memory at the forecourt of the airport terminal building where his body was found after an abortive coup in 1967. It would be kept in the custody of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.

At a short ceremony before the de-mounting, the Reverend Samuel Tettey Bamfo of the Presbyterian Church offered Christian prayers whilst a representative of the La Mantse, Nuumo Laryea, poured libation.

Wing Commander Andy Mensah, Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, said an appropriate place for the statue would be decided after the project is completed.

The new location would be decided in consultation with the government and management of the museum. He said the "Meeters and Greeters Hall" would be located at the site of the statue, as part of the expansion programme of the airport.

The second phase, estimated at 74 million dollars, would involve the expansion and reconstruction of the arrival and departure terminals and the completion of the road network modification.

The runway and the domestic terminal will also be extended and a modern navigational aid provided. The project, which forms part of the medium-term plan to modernise the entire airport to international standard, is scheduled to be completed by December 2001