The Majority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has defended the GH¢49.72 million spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa, presenting passenger registers, signed allowance sheets and airline receipts to counter allegations of unexplained expenditure by the Minority.
Chairman of the Committee and Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, and the MP for Salaga South, Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, addressed a press conference on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, insisting that documents submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the expenditure.
Their response follows a statement by the Minority Caucus on October 11 questioning the accountability of public funds used for the evacuation.
Mr Vanderpuije said the Foreign Affairs Committee received a comprehensive report from the Ministry on September 18, containing details of all 1,964 evacuees, including their names, passport numbers, contact information, amounts received and signatures.
According to him, records for minors included the relevant particulars and signatures of their parents or legal guardians.
“Not a single name is missing or unaccounted for,” he said.
The Committee Chairman added that the Ministry provided receipts and supporting documents covering chartered flights, commercial airline tickets, accommodation, feeding, transportation and other logistical expenses.
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The documentation also included correspondence relating to the GH¢16 million donation from Engineers and Planners, the company associated with businessman Ibrahim Mahama.
Hon Ibrahimah said the Ministry’s records showed that evacuees were entitled to GH¢5,000 each in reintegration support and GH¢500 for transportation.
According to her, signed payment sheets accounted for the allowances, including payments made on behalf of children by their parents or guardians.
“There’s no way a one-year-old child can sign for money. Their parents will have to sign for their child,” she said, disputing allegations concerning missing signatures and unaccounted-for minors.
She also rejected claims of duplicated names and signatures, arguing that some evacuees shared surnames because they may belong to the same families.
The MP urged the Minority to reconcile the passenger registers and payment sheets before concluding the expenditure.
Zuwera Ibrahimah disclosed that three chartered flights transported 956 Ghanaians to Accra on May 27, June 6 and June 7, 2026.
She said another 1,008 evacuees travelled through commercial airline arrangements involving Air Tanzania, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir and ASKY.
According to her, the Ministry provided airline receipts and supporting documents for the expenditure incurred.
She challenged the Minority’s claim that only 247 people travelled on commercial flights, insisting that the records presented to the Committee supported a higher figure.
Ms Ibrahimah also questioned figures in the Minority’s statement, citing an alleged difference of GH¢120,884 between amounts stated in two paragraphs.
Mr Vanderpuije commended President John Dramani Mahama and Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for facilitating the safe return of the Ghanaian nationals, describing the operation as evidence of the government’s commitment to protecting citizens abroad
He also praised Ablakwa for submitting the evacuation report to Parliament and voluntarily seeking to brief the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Chairman disclosed that the Minority boycotted the proposed engagement, missing an opportunity to seek clarification directly from the Minister. The Majority argued that the subsequent public allegations should have been preceded by efforts to reconcile the documents.
The caucus cited GH¢44.5 million reportedly spent on quarantine arrangements alone during the 2020 COVID-19 evacuation under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, calling for consistent accountability across successive governments.
The MPs referred to a letter dated September 17, 2026, inviting the Auditor-General to conduct an independent audit of evacuation exercises undertaken since 2017.
The proposed review covers the COVID-19 evacuation in 2020, Ukraine in 2022, Sudan in 2023, and South Africa in 2026, alongside other relevant exercises.
The Majority said the proposed audit demonstrates the Ministry’s willingness to submit its expenditure to independent scrutiny.
While the caucus maintains that the GH¢49.72 million expenditure is adequately documented, it assured that an independent audit by the Auditor General would verify the figures and resolve outstanding questions about the evacuation costs.