GH¢49.72 evacuation row: Ablakwa produces names of 1,964 evacuees, payment records and more

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released the names, signatures, and payment records of Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa in response to Minority claims that more than GH¢16 million spent on the exercise remains unaccounted for.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the documents demonstrate that the evacuation expenditure was supported by records, including passenger manifests, flight tickets, boarding passes, receipts and signed payment records.

According to the minister, the total cost of the South Africa evacuation exercise amounted to GH¢49.72 million, comprising GH¢33.72 million provided by the Government of Ghana and GH¢16 million contributed by Engineers and Planners.

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In his report, Mr Ablakwa said GH¢38.8 million was spent on chartered and commercial flights, accommodation, ground transportation, feeding, medical care and other related services.

The remaining GH¢10.8 million covered reintegration and transportation allowances paid to the evacuees.

The minister said all 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa, including infants, received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration allowance and GH¢500 for transportation.

“So far no Ghanaian evacuee from South Africa has denied ever receiving both reintegration and transportation allowances,” he said.

Mr Ablakwa rejected Minority claims that either GH¢16,423,470 or GH¢16,302,586 in evacuation funds had not been accounted for, describing the figures as inaccurate.

He also challenged the Minority’s assertion that only 247 Ghanaians arrived in Ghana through commercial flights, questioning how the opposition arrived at its conclusions.

The minister disputed the Minority’s position on the payment of allowances to 442 minors, citing the evacuation records submitted to support the government’s expenditure.

The controversy centres on the management and accountability of public funds used to evacuate Ghanaian nationals from South Africa following heightened anti-immigrant sentiment and attacks targeting foreign nationals.

The evacuation exercise ended on September 4, 2026, after three days, according to Mr Ablakwa.

The release of the names and payment records marks a fresh development in the dispute, with the government defending its expenditure and the Minority raising questions about the accounting of funds.