Minority demands independent audit of GH¢49.72m South Africa evacuation expenditure

The Minority in Parliament has called for an independent audit of the government’s GH¢49.72 million evacuation exercise from South Africa, raising concerns over discrepancies in expenditure records and payments to returnees.

The caucus says its examination of documents submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified more than GH¢16.4 million in expenditure that requires further clarification.

Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, disclosed this after reviewing records provided by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request.

The Bosome-Freho MP said the review identified concerns relating to reintegration grants, transport allowances, commercial flight records, duplicate entries and payments involving minors.

According to the Minority, the documents examined do not fully reconcile with the government’s reported expenditure or the total of 1,964 people said to have been evacuated.

The caucus, however, has not established that money was stolen or that the number of beneficiaries was deliberately inflated, stressing the need for further verification and explanations from the Ministry.

The evacuation exercise followed renewed xenophobic violence and intimidation against foreign nationals in South Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the operation began on May 27 and concluded on September 4, 2026, with the arrival of the final group of 41 returnees.

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 in support attributed to Engineers & Planners, a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama.

The expenditure reportedly covered chartered flights, commercial air tickets, ground transportation, meals, accommodation, medical assistance, reintegration support and other logistical arrangements.

The government also indicated that each returnee received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration grant and GH¢500 to cover transportation costs.

Although acknowledging the humanitarian significance of bringing Ghanaians home amid the violence, the Minority insists that the emergency nature of the operation does not remove the need for transparent financial accountability.

Mr Ayeh said he had requested detailed expenditure statements, payment registers, flight manifests, procurement records and other documents to support the government’s figures.

The Ministry subsequently provided more than 200 pages of records, which the Minority says it examined individually and subjected to independent third-party scrutiny.

One of the concerns raised involves the registers for reintegration grants and transport allowances. Mr Ayeh said only 824 names appeared on both lists, compared with the 1,964 people the government reported as having been evacuated and paid the two allowances.

Based on the difference of 1,140 people and the combined payment of GH¢5,500 per beneficiary, the Minority calculated a potential discrepancy of GH¢6.27 million.

The caucus says the records it reviewed do not adequately demonstrate that the corresponding payments were made to all the beneficiaries concerned.

It is therefore seeking clarification from the Ministry on whether the gaps resulted from incomplete documentation, missing signatures, alternative payment arrangements or other circumstances.

The Minority maintains that an independent audit would help establish the accuracy of the expenditure figures, verify payments to beneficiaries and account for the public and private resources committed to the evacuation exercise.

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