GH¢120,884 Discrepancy Emerges in Minority’s GH¢16.4m South Africa Evacuation Claims – Imani Africa

According to a report by TV3 Ghana on Wednesday October 28, 2026, Imani Africa has identified a GH¢120,884 discrepancy between two figures presented by the Minority in Parliament regarding the GH¢49.72 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa.

In its analysis of the Minority’s claims, Imani Africa noted that paragraph 19 of the Minority’s statement puts the alleged discrepancy at GH¢16,423,470. However, paragraph 22 states the figure as GH¢16,302,586. The difference between the two amounts is GH¢120,884, which the organisation says requires clarification.

The Minority has alleged that approximately GH¢16.42 million, representing about 33 per cent of the reported evacuation expenditure, has not been adequately accounted for. The evacuation exercise involved 1,964 Ghanaians.

Beyond the difference in the figures, Imani Africa has raised concerns about the potential cost of independently investigating the expenditure. The organisation estimates that a limited financial reconciliation could cost between GH¢250,000 and GH¢750,000.

It further estimates that an international forensic audit could cost between GH¢1 million and GH¢3 million, while an extensive cross-border investigation could cost GH¢3 million or more. However, Imani Africa stressed that these figures are only indicative estimates and not confirmed quotations.

The organisation has proposed that authorities begin with a less expensive verification process before considering a full forensic investigation. This process would involve examining beneficiary registers, payment records, airline manifests, boarding passes, immigration records and receipts.

According to Imani Africa, this approach could help establish whether the disputed figures resulted from clerical errors, incomplete documentation, unsupported payments or actual financial losses.

The organisation maintains that the government has a responsibility to account for public funds, while the Minority must also provide clarity on the figures supporting its allegations.

Imani Africa has therefore stressed the need for an independent examination of the available evidence to establish the facts surrounding the evacuation expenditure.

The key question, according to the organisation, is whether Ghana should spend up to GH¢3 million on an extensive investigation before exhausting simpler and less expensive verification methods.

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