Minority caucus questions GH¢16.4m in Ablakwa’s SA evacuation spending, demands independent audit

The Minority caucus has called for an independent audit of the government’s GH¢49.72 million evacuation exercise, alleging that records supplied by the Foreign Affairs Ministry leave more than GH¢16.4 million requiring further explanation.

The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, presented the allegations following a review of documents provided by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request.

According to the Bosome-Freho MP, the documents contain discrepancies involving reintegration grants, transport allowances, commercial flight records, duplicate entries and payments involving minors.

The Minority argues that the records do not fully reconcile with the government’s reported expenditure and total of 1,964 evacuees.

The allegations do not establish that funds were stolen or beneficiary numbers deliberately inflated. The issues raised require verification of the underlying records and a response from the Ministry.

The evacuation followed renewed xenophobic violence and intimidation against foreign nationals in South Africa. According to the Ministry, the exercise began on May 27 and ended on September 4, 2026, when the final group of 41 returnees arrived in Ghana.

On September 7, Mr Ablakwa announced a total expenditure of GH¢49,721,786, comprising GH¢33,721,786 in direct government funding and GH¢16 million in support attributed to 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 the operation, the Minority said its emergency nature did not relieve it of the obligation to account for the funds spent.

Mr Ayeh requested itemised expenditure records, payment registers, flight manifests, procurement details and other supporting documents. The Ministry subsequently supplied more than 200 pages of records, which the Minority says it reviewed name by name and subjected to independent third-party scrutiny.

A central concern relates to the registers for the reintegration grants and transport allowances. Mr Ayeh said only 824 names could be matched across both lists, compared with the 1,964 people the government said had been evacuated and given the two payments.

The difference of 1,140 people, multiplied by the combined GH¢5,500 package, amounts to GH¢6.27 million. The Minority argues that the documents reviewed do not adequately establish payment of that amount.

It wants the Ministry to explain whether the gaps reflect incomplete records, missing signatures, separate payment arrangements or other circumstances. Matching names across two registers alone