Foreign Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has clarified that every Ghanaian evacuated from South Africa received support.
Honourable Okudzeto addressed questions about the payment records after the Minority questioned sign-off sheets bearing signatures attributed to young children. He contended that the criticism overlooked the procedure for documenting assistance provided to minors, for whom parents or guardians were required to sign on their behalf.
“Every evacuee received a reintegration allowance of 5,500. They all signed for it and parents were asked to sign for their children, for the babies and for minors.”
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Foreign Affairs Minister insisted that the records should be assessed alongside the accompanying documentation, arguing that the evacuation involved identifiable passengers and verifiable travel arrangements. He pointed to passenger manifests, airline receipts and boarding passes as supporting evidence for the exercise.
Furthermore, the minister explained that the evacuation was conducted in “phases, beginning with chartered flights for vulnerable people” before the authorities turned to commercial airlines. The arrangement, he indicated, was shaped partly by the difficulty of securing commercial flights at the outset and the urgency of returning Ghanaians from an unsafe environment.
Honourable Ablakwa also situated the operation within the government’s consular responsibilities, noting that the protection of Ghanaians abroad require immediate interventions in several countries. He cited previous evacuations and assistance to nationals in distress as evidence of a continuing commitment to their safety.
Meanwhile, the minister disputed the suggestion that the South African operation was “a money-making venture”, arguing that its purpose is humanitarian. He pointed to his decision to decline a proposed GHS20 million contribution from MTN as evidence that the exercise was not intended for personal enrichment.
Foreign Minister Details GHS38.8m Spent on Evacuation Operations
Outlining the expenditure incurred in Ghana’s evacuation of nationals from South Africa, Foreign Affairs Minister Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed that GHS38.84 on eveacution operations. A further GHS10.8 million went towards support, bringing the total reported expenditure to approximately GHS49.72 million.
Presenting the figures, the North Tongu MP explained that the exercise required logistical arrangements to move evacuees safely from areas of danger and accommodate them during transit. Medical care and hospitalisation were also included in the expenditure, alongside assistance for those returning to Ghana.
The minister provided the following breakdown of the two largest spending categories:
“Chartered Flights, tickets, ground transportation, feeding, hotel accommodation in South Africa, medical and hospitalization was GHS 38,835,512.00. Reintegration and Transportation allowance was GHS 10,802,000.00.”
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Honourable Ablakwa explained that the government financed the greater share of the exercise, while a 16 million donation by Mr Ibrahim Mahama to the overall cost. He presented the figures as part of his response to scrutiny of the evacuation and the demand for greater accountability over public expenditure.
In addition to the flight arrangements, the authorities had to provide accommodation and meals for evacuees while coordinating their return journeys. The minister also commended Ghana’s High Commission team in South Africa for its role in organising the operation and acknowledged support from the Pentecost Church, which assisted with hotel costs.
He further explained that the repatriation of deceased Ghanaians and the cost of autopsies were included in the final accounting. Two nationals died in South Africa during the period under discussion, while the minister’s breakdown separately accounted for the repatriation of their remains and related examinations.
Meanwhile, the evacuation proceeded through 15 flights between 27th May and 4th September 2026, with chartered services used during the first phase and commercial airlines engaged later. The minister argued that the changing arrangements reflected the practical demands of bringing home people who required assistance.
Honourable Ablakwa has also requested an audit of the operation, seeking independent examination of the expenditure. The review, he indicated, should establish whether the costs were properly documented and provide an additional layer of accountability for the funds used.
Foreign Minister Sends Evacuation Records To Minority MPs
Referencing the documentation submitted to Parliament on Ghana’s evacuation of nationals from South Africa, Foreign Affairs Minister Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has emphasised that the records provided to the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Minority contain “evidence to verify the operation.”
“These documents were submitted to the Parliament of Ghana, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the minority side in response to their RTI request. The documents include passenger manifests, airline receipts, flight tickets, boarding passes and the full breakdown of expenditure.”
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The minister explained that the material supplied extended beyond allowance sign-off sheets to include airline receipts, flight tickets, boarding passes and passenger manifests. He added that these records offered several independent ways to verify the people transported and the flights used during the operation.
Honourable Ablakwa criticised the Minority’s focus on signatures attributed to young children, arguing that the accompanying evidence should also inform its assessment. He cited receipts from Ethiopian Airlines, Air Tanzania, EgyptAir and ASKY as documentation of the services provided and the passengers carried.
Furthermore, the minister explained that the flight manifests contained the names of evacuees, while airline records specified passenger numbers and the costs associated with individual journeys. He invited scrutiny of those details, contending that the information could be checked against the airlines’ own records.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also recounted that he had directed his office to submit an electronic version of the documents after efforts to deliver hard copies proved difficult while Parliament was on recess. He rejected suggestions that the records had been withheld, arguing that the Ministry had responded within the applicable process.
In a further step towards accountability, Honourable Ablakwa disclosed that he has written to the Auditor-General on 17th September, requesting an audit of the South African evacuation and other evacuation exercises dating back to 2017. He indicated that he wanted the review to begin promptly instead of waiting for the ordinary auditing cycle.
The minister also defended the work of Ghana’s diplomatic staff in South Africa, urging the public to assess their contribution fairly. He argued that the documentation and the proposed audit should help establish a clear account of the operation.
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