South Africa evacuation: Foreign Affairs Ministry answers Minority’s RTI request with 200-page report

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to the Minority’s Right to Information (RTI) request on the South Africa evacuation with a report of more than 200 pages.

The figures reported from it show that air travel alone took nearly three-quarters of the GH¢49.72 million spent on the exercise.

According to sources close to the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Ministry sent the report, which contains records on more than 1,900 evacuees, including contact details and signatures, electronically on Friday, 18 September.

The request was filed by the Deputy Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, while the evacuation was still going on.

The Ministry says it could not give a full and final account at that time because the exercise was still ongoing and spending and operational details were not yet complete.

Where the money went

Chartered flights cost GH¢27,183,700, and commercial tickets and layover expenses cost GH¢9,420,463.68, bringing air travel to more than GH¢36.6 million.

Reintegration support came to GH¢10.802 million, made up of GH¢5,000 in reintegration grants and GH¢500 in transportation allowance for each of the 1,964 returnees.

Below is a list of other things which totalled about GH¢2.3 million:

• Ground transportation in South Africa: GH¢997,644
• Food: GH¢634,349.99
• Logistics, including screening equipment, mobile toilets, fumigation and cleaning: GH¢162,917.76
• Communication, including airtime, data and an evacuation centre: GH¢153,728.09
• Hotel accommodation: GH¢141,797.86
• Printing of signs and passport photographs for emergency travel certificates: GH¢98,151
• Repatriation and autopsies for two deceased Ghanaians: GH¢84,274
• Medical services and hospitalisation: GH¢20,148
• Miscellaneous: GH¢22,610.84

How this compares with the Minister’s figures

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced the total of GH¢49,721,786 on 7 September, in three groups. GH¢38,835,512 covered flights, tickets, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation and medical care. GH¢10,802,000 went on reintegration and transport allowances, and GH¢84,274 on repatriating the remains of two nationals. The itemised amounts above add up to the same three groups, to within a cedi.

The government paid GH¢33,721,786 of the total, and Engineers and Planners, owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama, contributed GH¢16 million and the Ministry says the bill has been settled in full.

What the Minority still wants

The Minority requested for the total to be backed by invoices, payment vouchers, receipts, contracts and procurement documents for flights, accommodation, feeding, medical services and reintegration.

Asafo-Adjei has said the Minority is not alleging fraud, but wants discrepancies explained. He has asked in particular for an official passenger manifest for the first phase, which public accounts put at 979 arrivals while the Minister later put it at 926.

The Ministry has also asked for a special audit of government-funded evacuations since 2017, covering the COVID-19, Ukraine, Sudan and South Africa operations.

The South Africa evacuation ran from 27 May to 4 September, when the last 41 evacuees arrived in Accra.

The International Organization for Migration, the National Disaster Management Organisation and the Ghana Red Cross Society also provided returnees psychosocial assistance, logistics, hot meals and water.

The Church of Pentecost provided accommodation for affected Ghanaians in Pretoria, Kempton Park and Johannesburg.