Reacts to Mount Over GHS 49.7 Million Spent on Evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa

Critical questions remain unanswered over the GHS 49.7 million reportedly spent to evacuate 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa, according to Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. His remarks suggest that the expenditure has not been adequately explained, despite the significant sum involved.

The figure works out to roughly GHS 25,000 per evacuee, a number that is likely to fuel public concern about value for money. For a government that has pledged transparency in the use of public funds, the lack of clear answers on such a large expenditure is a sensitive issue.

The evacuation exercise has already been the subject of back-and-forth between the Minority and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Ministry, under Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has faced calls to account for costs including hotel accommodation, flight tickets, food, and other related expenses. The Minister has also sought an audit by the Auditor General covering all evacuation exercises from 2017 to date.

The Deputy Ranking Member’s intervention suggests that, in his view, the documentation provided so far does not resolve the outstanding questions. If the GHS 49.7 million figure is accurate, Ghanaians will want to know how it was arrived at, who approved it, and whether due process was followed at every stage.

Until those questions are answered, the evacuation exercise will remain a subject of scrutiny. The matter is now likely to test both the Ministry’s commitment to transparency and Parliament’s willingness to pursue accountability, regardless of which party is in office.

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