Foreign Affairs Minister, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has assured Ghanaians that the government is prepared to evacuate citizens from South Africa if renewed xenophobic attacks threaten their safety, livelihoods or presence in the country.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu explained that the Ministry’s Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau is monitoring the situation and assess the needs of Ghanaian nationals facing emergencies abroad.
His assurance follows the recent anti-migrant violence in South Africa, where protests in Johannesburg and Durban turned violent on October 8, with vehicles torched and foreign-owned shops looted.
The unrest is as a result of tensions surrounding asylum applications and a Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers cannot be denied access to the country’s asylum system solely on procedural grounds, including illegal entry. South African authorities subsequently withdrew a directive intended to implement the ruling, clarifying that it did not automatically confer refugee status or permanent residence.
Honourable Ablakwa emphasised that the completion of Ghana’s previous evacuation exercise does not mean assistance would end if conditions deteriorate again.
“If we have to step in, intervene, and bring our nationals back home to safety, we will do that swiftly. The Foreign Ministry is active and continues to assess every situation, particularly crisis situations, Ghanaians in distress.”
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Foreign Affairs Minister also disclosed that Ghana has evacuated more than 6,300 citizens from different countries since 2025 in various distress situations. He cited operations involving Libya, Myanmar and Cambodia as examples of the government’s continuing consular interventions.
Meanwhile, the recently concluded South African operation brought 1,964 Ghanaians home between May 27 and September 4, 2026. The exercise cost over GH¢49 million, according to figures released by the Ministry, and involved chartered and commercial flights, ground transportation, accommodation, feeding and medical assistance.
The Ministry’s 72 diplomatic missions, according to him, are currently monitoring the welfare of Ghanaians within their jurisdictions and will provide assistance when emergencies arise.
Foreign Affairs Minister: Minority Received 200 Pages On Evacuation
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has confirmed that the Minority in Parliament has received more than 200 pages of documents detailing the government’s expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, as he awaits an independent audit of the exercise.
Speaking in an interview, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu explained that the Ministry responded to the Minority’s Right to Information (RTI) request by providing additional records following questions about the GH¢49.7 million spent on the operation.
Honourable Ablakwa disclosed that the documents contain further details on the financial and logistical arrangements, including flight costs, feeding, accommodation and transportation for Ghanaians who voluntarily returned home amid xenophobic attacks.
The Minority requested supporting documentation to enable Parliament and the public to scrutinise the expenditure. The Ministry subsequently submitted the records electronically in September, with the evacuation accounting for the return of 1,964 Ghanaians between May 27 and September 4, 2026.
Beyond responding to the parliamentary request, the Foreign Affairs Minister revealed that he has formally invited the Auditor-General to examine evacuation exercises conducted by the Ministry since 2017. The proposed review covers previous operations involving Ghanaians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the crisis in Sudan, alongside the recent South African operation.
Honourable Ablakwa welcomed the prospect of an independent assessment, insisting that the Ministry has nothing to conceal regarding the use of public funds and contributions from private supporters and “it is the audit service that conducts audits, not the Foreign Affairs Committee.”
The North Tongu MP also disclosed that the Auditor-General responded to the invitation and indicated that the audit would begin soon. He expressed confidence that an independent examination would provide further clarity on the financial and administrative arrangements surrounding the all evacuations since 2017, citing expenditure on COVID-19 evacuations under the previous government.
“The records from the Ministry indicates that they spent about 44 million on quarantine alone. Take out feeding and the internal transportation, busing arrangements and all of that. There are many Ghanaians who have said that they were asked to pay for quarantine themselves and yet taxpayers were billed 44 million cedis.”
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The proposed exercise would provide an opportunity to examine the records across successive evacuation operations, allowing the relevant authorities to assess expenditure and identify lessons for future emergencies involving Ghanaian nationals abroad.
Ablakwa: Ghana Awaits AU Debate on South African Xenophobia
The African Union (AU) has formally responded to Ghana’s petition seeking continental deliberations on xenophobic attacks in South Africa, with Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirming that the matter is expected to feature on the agenda of the bloc’s next summit in January 2027.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu disclosed that the response marks progress in Ghana’s diplomatic efforts to address recurring violence against African nationals and promote a coordinated continental response.
Honourable Ablakwa urged South African authorities to take stronger measures to prevent further attacks, while cautioning that he did not want to prejudice the forthcoming AU discussions by commenting extensively on the latest incidents.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also expressed disappointment over the renewed violence, particularly as African countries have recently commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration against racism, discrimination and xenophobia during the United Nations’ 81st session.
He noted the contradiction between the principles promoted at the international gathering and the continuing hostility experienced by foreign nationals in South Africa.
Nevertheless, Mr Ablakwa expressed confidence in African integration, arguing that the continent must strengthen cooperation to address economic hardship and improve opportunities for its citizens.
“I am a perpetual optimist in the African project, in the integration agenda,” he intimated, invoking Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and his vision of continental political and economic unity.
“We should not see immigrants and people who travel using our free movement protocols as people who are detrimental to our national progress.”
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Minister reiterated that migration should be managed through effective regulation while protecting the rights and dignity of people moving between African countries. He further called for a continental approach that allows countries to pursue domestic development without treating migrants as obstacles to national progress.
The proposed January summit would give the AU’s 55 member states an opportunity to deliberate on xenophobia, anti-immigration sentiment and the future of free movement across the continent.
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