The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the Government of Ghana did not seek financial or material assistance from South Africa to evacuate Ghanaian nationals affected by recent xenophobic attacks.
The Ministry has therefore assured Ghanaians that the country will not be among those being asked by the South African government to reimburse the cost of repatriating foreign nationals.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 13, 2026, the Ministry said it had taken note of media reports indicating that South Africa was seeking about US$18 million in reimbursement from several African countries for support provided in evacuating their nationals.
The Ministry said Ghana’s evacuation exercise was entirely financed by the Government of Ghana and Ghanaian partners.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Ghana did not seek any financial or material support from the South African Government to bring our fellow nationals back home,” the statement said.
South Africa’s Reimbursement Request
The clarification comes amid reports that South Africa has approached Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to reimburse part of the estimated US$18.5 million, equivalent to about R292 million, spent on repatriating their nationals as part of an immigration enforcement exercise.
Briefing the South African Parliament on the expenditure, the Director-General of Home Affairs, Tommy Makhode, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) had initially budgeted R60 million for deportations but ultimately spent R292 million.
Mr Makhode said the Department of Home Affairs had contacted the three countries through DIRCO to request reimbursement.
The request is expected to cover expenses related to an operation that had processed 82,875 foreign nationals through repatriation centres as of August 6. The figure does not include individuals who returned before June 30 or those processed directly by the Border Management Authority.
“We have also written to the government of Malawi and, of course, the embassies of Nigeria and Ethiopia requesting reimbursements of this cost through the department of DIRCO,” Mr Makhode told Parliament.
Ghana’s Evacuation
Ghana, however, has not been named among the countries from which South Africa is seeking reimbursement.
The Ministry said the Government of Ghana and its partners fully financed the evacuation of affected Ghanaians.
It said approximately GH¢10.6 million had been spent on the evacuees as part of a comprehensive support package, including a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and GH¢500 for travel and transportation for each person evacuated.
During the first phase of the exercise, 926 Ghanaians were evacuated from South Africa, costing the government approximately GH¢5.1 million.
The second phase brought another 1,000 Ghanaians home at a cost of about GH¢5.5 million.
The Ministry said it is expected to provide a comprehensive account later this year of government expenditure on the exercise, as well as donations received from individuals and corporate institutions.
Government Gives Assurance
The Ministry said the latest evacuation exercise had followed the same arrangement, with the Government of Ghana and Ghanaian partners bearing the full cost.
It disclosed that more than 1,600 Ghanaians had been evacuated from South Africa since May 2026, with the exercise still ongoing.
“Ghanaians can therefore be assured that under no circumstances will Ghana be listed among the countries being requested by the Government of South Africa to reimburse the cost incurred in repatriating foreign nationals,” the Ministry stressed.
The Ministry reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the lives and welfare of Ghanaians wherever they may be and said it would continue to take timely and decisive action whenever the safety and security of citizens abroad were at risk, “regardless of the cost required.”
It also expressed profound gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and all Ghanaian partners whose support made the evacuation exercise fully Ghanaian-funded.
