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The Minority Caucus in Parliament is demanding an independent audit of Ghana’s evacuation exercise from South Africa, citing discrepancies in evacuee records, reintegration payments and transport costs. The Caucus says it accepts the Foreign Affairs Minister’s call for the Auditor-General to audit the exercise but insists that the findings must be made public to ensure transparency and accountability. #WhatIsAblakwaHiding #AccountForThe16.4Million #SAEvacuationScandal

Minority Uncovers GH¢16.4m ‘Black Hole’ In Ablakwa’s GH¢49.7m Evacuation Bill, Demands Independent Audit The Minority in Parliament has accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of failing to adequately account for a significant portion of the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks, alleging that discrepancies in payment registers and flight records leave more than GH¢16.4 million requiring further explanation. The allegation was made by the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho, Hon. Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, who presented the Minority’s findings after examining documents supplied by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request. According to the Minority, its review identified discrepancies involving reintegration grants, transport allowances, commercial flight records, duplicate entries and payments involving minors. The Caucus argues that the inconsistencies raise questions about whether the government’s announced total of 1,964 evacuees and the overall expenditure can be fully reconciled with the supporting documentation. The Minority has consequently called for an independent audit by a reputable accounting firm, insisting that the findings should be made public to establish the accuracy of the expenditure and restore confidence in the management of public funds. The allegations, however, do not establish that money was stolen or that the number of evacuees was deliberately inflated. Those questions require verification of the underlying records and a response from the Ministry. How the GH¢49.7 million evacuation expenditure came under scrutiny The controversy follows the government’s decision to evacuate Ghanaian nationals from South Africa after a resurgence of xenophobic violence and intimidation against foreign nationals in the country. The evacuation exercise, which began on May 27 and ended on September 4, 2026, brought 1,964 Ghanaians back home, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The final group of 41 returnees arrived in Ghana on September 4. On September 7, Mr Ablakwa announced that the exercise had cost GH¢49,721,786. The amount comprised GH¢33,721,786 in direct government funding and GH¢16 million attributed to support from Engineers & Planners, a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama. The reported expenditure covered chartered flights, commercial airline tickets, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation, medical care, reintegration support and other logistical expenses. The government also said each evacuee received a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and a GH¢500 transport allowance. While acknowledging the humanitarian importance of bringing Ghanaians home from a dangerous situation, the Minority maintained that the emergency nature of the operation did not remove the obligation to account for the funds used. Mr Ayeh had therefore submitted an RTI request seeking itemised expenditure records, payment registers, flight manifests, procurement details and other supporting documents that would allow Parliament and the public to verify the official figures. The Ministry subsequently provided a response exceeding 200 pages, including records relating to evacuees and the payments made under the exercise. The Minority says it undertook a name-by-name review of the documents and subjected its analysis to independent third-party scrutiny before presenting its conclusions. Minority says only 824 evacuees could be matched to both payments One of the principal findings presented by Mr Ayeh concerns the GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and the GH¢500 transport allowance that the government said were provided to each evacuee. According to the MP, a comparison of the signed registers for the two payments showed that only 824 names could be matched across both lists.