GH¢49.72m S.A. evacuation cost: Charter price comparisons alone cannot prove overpricing – IMANI Associate

An Associate of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education (CPE), Kay Cudjoe, has cautioned against drawing conclusions of overpricing based solely on comparisons between the reported cost of chartering aircraft for the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa and alternative charter prices.

His comments follow public discussions surrounding the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa, including a reported aircraft charter cost of GH¢27,180,700.

Speaking on** JoyNews’ **Newsfile on Saturday, October 24, 2026, Mr Cudjoe stressed the need for a careful assessment of the circumstances surrounding the charter arrangements before determining whether the expenditure was excessive.

According to him, although comparisons with alternative charter prices may raise legitimate questions about the expenditure, they are insufficient on their own to establish overpricing.

“It is important to establish a very important part of the conversation…the area where we should be most careful is where the reported charter cost of 27,180,700.

“I think public comparisons with alternative charter prices cannot prove overpricing unless we look at the issues concerning aircraft charter,” he stated.