Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed that the ongoing evacuation exercise of Ghanaians fleeing xenophobia in South Africa is being financed through the government’s contingency budget allocation reserved for emergencies.
Speaking in a special interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, the minister explained that he formally wrote to the President requesting approval for the use of the emergency funds. He said the request was subsequently approved through collaboration with Parliament, leading to the release of the resources.
According to him, the approved funds have been accessed from the designated government account and are currently being used to support the evacuation operation.
“There will be full accountability; nobody is going to run away. Let us conclude the exercise. For those who are also wondering where the resources are coming from, in every year’s budget, there is always a contingency allocation for emergencies. So that is what the finance minister, on the instruction of the president, released and utilising for this exercise,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa assured that full transparency will be maintained, adding that a comprehensive account of all expenditures will be presented to the public after the exercise is completed.
“There will be full accountability. There will be nothing to hide at all when it comes to the financial component of this whole arrangement,” he assured.
He stressed that no funds will be spent without proper accounting, giving an assurance of strict financial accountability in the management of the evacuation process.
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