A fresh controversy has emerged over the government’s account of the 2026 evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, with the Minority on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee questioning whether the figures announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, can be fully supported by underlying records.
The concerns, which were detailed at a news conference in Accra yesterday and addressed by the Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee and MP for Bosome-Freho, Nana Asafo-AdjeiAyeh, align with longstanding calls by the Ranking Member of the Committee and MP for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, for greater transparency and parliamentary oversight in the use of public and donated private funds.
At the center of the controversy are discrepancies between various public accounts of the evacuation exercise, which the government says brought home 1,964 Ghanaians at a total cost of GH¢49.72 million.
While the Minority has stressed that it supports the decision to repatriate citizens caught up in violence and unrest in South Africa, it argues that the official figures announced by Ablakwa do not reconcile with earlier public records.
“The issue is not whether Ghanaians should have been evacuated. It is about whether the final public account can be verified from the underlying records”, said the Bosome-Freho lawmaker.
The evacuation program was launched after attacks against foreign nationals in parts of South Africa reignited concerns about the safety of migrant communities, including Ghanaians.
Ghana has previously undertaken emergency evacuations during crises, including operations linked to conflicts in Libya, Sudan and Ukraine, where governments of different political persuasions were required to account for emergency expenditures after the exercise.
Historically, such exercises have exposed a difficult balance between rapid humanitarian intervention and strict financial accountability.
It is this principle, the Minority argues, that is at stake in the latest debate.
Mr Ablakwa disclosed on Monday, September 7, 2026 that 1,964 Ghanaians were evacuated from South Africa.
He further stated that GH¢38.84 million was spent on transport, accommodation, feeding and medical costs, while GH¢10.8 million was paid as reintegration and transportation support to returnees. Each returnee received an amount of GHS5, 500.
Government’s contribution was put at GH¢33.72 million, with Engineers & Planners, a company owned by President John Dramani Mahama’s brother, Ibrahim Mahama, contributing GH¢16 million.
However, the Minority contends that some of those figures raise immediate questions.
One of the central concerns involves the GH¢10.8 million allocated for reintegration and transport support.
According to the Minority’s analysis, the amount translates exactly into 1,964 beneficiaries when divided by the GH¢5,500 package reportedly paid to each evacuee.
While that appears to support the government’s final figure, critics argue that the payment ledger and the travel records must be produced to confirm that the same 1,964 individuals actually travelled under the program and subsequently received the stated support.
Questions have also been raised about figures relating to the first phase of the evacuation.
According to records cited by the Minority, South Africa’s Border Management Authority indicated that 295 Ghanaians were cleared and boarded the first evacuation flight in May. The Ghana High Commission was separately reported as indicating that 297 people travelled on that flight.
Additional South African records reportedly showed 323 passengers boarding one charter flight and 340 boarding another in early June.
Yet Ghana’s own public records subsequently presented arrival figures of 297, 340 and 342 passengers, producing a total of 979 people during the first phase.
Months later, however, Ablakwa reportedly described the same first phase as involving 926 evacuees.
The Minority insists that these figures cannot all be correct simultaneously and has asked the government to identify which passenger manifest produced the final number now being relied upon.
“Per the South African departure record, Ghana’s contemporary arrival record and government’s later Phase One total do not presently reconcile,” Nana Asafo-AdjeiAyeh stated.
The concerns extend beyond passenger numbers.
Particular attention has focused on the GH¢16 million contribution from Engineers & Planners and how it was expended.
Earlier reports suggested the company was financing air tickets for evacuees returning during the second phase of the operation.
However, the Minority says the government’s final financial disclosure does not specify which flights, passenger batches, invoices or service providers benefited from the contribution.
They argued that because the government has declared the operation completed and all liabilities settled, there should now be no obstacle to releasing supporting documentation.
Among the records being requested are passenger manifests, beneficiary payment schedules, commercial flight bookings, procurement documents, invoices, payment vouchers and records showing how the GH¢16 million private contribution was applied.
The Minority is also seeking documentation showing how contingency funds were authorized and released to support the evacuation effort.
By Stephen Larbi
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