Ghana hands parliamentary minority report on evacuation from South Africa — MyJoyOnline
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has handed a representative of the parliamentary minority an electronic report of more than 200 pages on the evacuation of the country’s citizens from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks. According to MyJoyOnline, the document was sent on September 18, 2026, in response to a request under the right to information law.
The request was filed by Nana Asafo-Adjei Aye, deputy minority representative on the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and regional integration. The parliamentary minority requested detailed financial and operational documents regarding the evacuation.
Evacuation costs
The evacuation lasted from May 27 to September 4, 2026. A total of 1,964 citizens were returned to Ghana, while the total cost of the operation amounted to 49,721,786 Ghanaian cedis. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa disclosed these figures at a press conference on September 7.
A total of 38,835,512 cedis was spent on charter and commercial flights, ground transportation, food, accommodation, and medical assistance. Another 10,802,000 cedis was allocated for reintegration payments and transport allowances. The repatriation of the bodies of two Ghanaian citizens cost 84,274 cedis.
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The government financed 33,721,786 cedis of the expenses, while the company Engineers and Planners provided another 16 million cedis. The final group of 41 evacuees arrived in Ghana on September 4.
Request for an audit of operations
Representatives of the parliamentary minority stated that they did not object to the evacuation of citizens facing threats in South Africa, but demanded documentary evidence of the expenditures. They requested information on flights, procurement, payments, private-sector contributions, and reintegration assistance, as well as invoices, payment documents, receipts, contracts, and procurement materials.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also asked the auditor-general on September 17 to conduct a special audit of evacuation operations carried out since 2017. The review is to cover not only the operation in South Africa but also previous evacuations conducted by the ministry.
