By Ebenezer Adugyamfi / Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
17 October 2026
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has defended the government’s decision to provide GH¢5,500 in financial support to every Ghanaian evacuated from South Africa, including babies and other minors, following xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, October 17, the minister explained that each returnee received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration allowance and an additional GH¢500 to cover transportation costs upon arrival in Ghana.
Mr Ablakwa said the arrangement covered all evacuees regardless of age and was implemented on the instructions of President John Dramani Mahama.
The minister’s comments come amid growing public debate over the expenditure incurred during the evacuation exercise, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament raising concerns about payment records and the documentation supporting some of the reported costs.
Ablakwa Explains Why Children Received the Same Allowance
Addressing questions about the inclusion of children and infants in the payment records, Mr Ablakwa said the government’s position was that all evacuees were entitled to the same financial support.
He explained that the decision had been publicly communicated during his September 7 briefing on the evacuation exercise.
The minister argued that children returning to Ghana also faced practical challenges associated with rebuilding their lives, including finding schools, adjusting to a different educational environment and meeting their everyday needs.
He maintained that support should not be limited to adults because parents and guardians would still have to cater for the needs of their children after returning home.
The explanation follows questions from the Minority over payment acknowledgement sheets containing names of minors and signatures reportedly provided by parents or guardians on their behalf.
Mr Ablakwa said parents and guardians were required to sign for children who could not sign for themselves, including babies.
Minority Raises Questions Over GH¢49.72 Million Expenditure
The dispute extends beyond the allowance payments to the overall cost of bringing the evacuees home.
On October 11, the NPP Minority Caucus called for an independent audit of the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on the operation.
The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, said the caucus had reviewed documents provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a Right to Information request.
According to the Minority’s assessment, some payment registers, passenger records and flight documentation appeared not to reconcile with the official figure of 1,964 evacuees.
The caucus questioned whether the available records sufficiently accounted for all the reported reintegration and transportation payments, as well as some commercial flight costs.
It estimated that more than GH¢16 million in expenditure required further explanation and called for an independent examination of the records.
These are allegations raised by the Minority and do not, by themselves, establish that funds were misappropriated or that any evacuee failed to receive the allowance.
Minister Cites Payment Records and Travel Documents
In response, Mr Ablakwa has defended the exercise, pointing to passenger manifests, airline receipts, flight tickets, boarding passes and payment acknowledgement sheets as evidence supporting the government’s account.
He has challenged the Minority to identify any evacuee who did not receive the GH¢5,500 package.
The minister has also disputed the Minority’s interpretation of the passenger and payment records, insisting that the evacuation involved documented travel arrangements and that the supporting records should be examined together.
He has indicated that the Ministry is prepared to have the figures scrutinised, including through an audit.
The government’s published expenditure breakdown puts the total cost of the exercise at GH¢49,721,786. Of that amount, GH¢38,835,512 was allocated to flights, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation and medical and hospitalisation expenses.
A further GH¢10,802,000 was attributed to reintegration and transportation allowances, while GH¢84,274 covered the repatriation of two deceased Ghanaians and related autopsy costs.
The government has also reported GH¢16 million in support from Engineers and Planners, with the remaining GH¢33,721,786 coming from direct government funding.
Nearly 2,000 Ghanaians Returned Home
The evacuation exercise was conducted between May 27 and September 4, 2026, following xenophobic attacks and heightened anti-immigrant tensions in South Africa.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 1,964 Ghanaian nationals were brought home through a combination of chartered flights and commercial airline services.
The operation was intended to assist Ghanaians who faced insecurity and intimidation in the country.
The government’s financial support package was designed to help returnees meet immediate transportation needs and begin the process of reintegrating into Ghanaian society.
However, the disagreement over the payment records has placed renewed attention on the need for clear documentation and transparent accounting in publicly funded emergency operations.
Audit Could Help Resolve Outstanding Questions
The central issue now is whether the supporting records can independently establish that the reported expenditure matches the number of evacuees, the services provided and the payments made.
While Mr Ablakwa maintains that every returnee received the full allowance, the Minority insists that discrepancies identified in its review require further clarification.
An independent audit could help establish whether the records reconcile, identify any administrative errors and determine whether the reported expenditure was properly supported.
For the families who returned from South Africa, the government’s assistance was intended to provide a measure of support after a difficult experience. For the wider public, the continuing debate underscores the importance of accountability in the management of public funds.
As the minister defends the exercise and the Minority presses for further scrutiny, the findings of an independent review could provide a clearer picture of the evacuation’s financial records and help resolve the outstanding questions.
