Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, with all due respect, it is time to stop comparing evacuation costs under different governments and address the specific concerns raised about your Ministry’s financial report.
The issue before us is straightforward: Can the Ministry account for every cedi reportedly spent on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa? Ghanaians are aware that the COVID-19 evacuation exercise under the previous NPP government reportedly cost the taxpayer GH¢96.97 million. It has been argued that the expenditure was accounted for, scrutinised by the relevant parliamentary committee, and accepted and gazetted.
Today, your Ministry has reportedly spent GH¢49.7 million on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa. However, the Minority’s concerns are not simply about the amount spent. They concern discrepancies identified in the financial and logistical records.
The concerns raised by the Minority deserve clear answers.
1. Duplicate Names in the Records
Reviewers reportedly identified duplicate entries in the payment and logistical registers. The Ministry must explain these entries and clarify whether they affected the accuracy of the records or resulted in any irregular payments.
2. Discrepancies in Cash Disbursements
The Ministry has stated that each of the 1,964 evacuees received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration grant and GH¢500 as a transport allowance. However, the Minority argues that gaps in the payment registers leave approximately GH¢6.2 million in these allowances insufficiently accounted for.
The Ministry should provide the relevant payment records and reconcile the figures so that the public can understand exactly how the money was disbursed.
3. Discrepancies in Flight Records and Passenger Manifests
The Minority has also questioned the difference between the reported total of 1,964 evacuees and the figures contained in the commercial flight records. Its findings reportedly leave 791 people whose travel documentation or records require clarification. This discrepancy needs a proper explanation. The Ministry should reconcile the passenger manifests, flight records and official evacuation figures.
4. Payments Involving Minors
Questions have also been raised about payments reportedly processed directly in the names of minors rather than their parents or guardians. The Ministry should explain the circumstances surrounding these transactions and provide the necessary supporting documentation.
In response to these concerns, the Minority has called for a full independent audit by a qualified accounting firm to reconcile the figures and establish the facts. Minister Ablakwa has rejected the allegations, maintaining that not a pesewa is missing and that the relevant airline receipts, boarding passes and grant payments are fully accounted for. If the Ministry is confident that every cedi has been properly accounted for, an independent audit would provide an opportunity to demonstrate that confidence through verifiable evidence.
HON. MINISTER, THE ISSUE IS NOT WHO SPENT MORE. THE ISSUE IS ACCOUNTABILITY.
The fact that a previous government spent GH¢96.97 million does not, by itself, resolve questions about the current Ministry’s financial records. Equally, the discrepancies raised by the Minority should not automatically be treated as proof of financial misconduct. They must be investigated, explained and resolved using credible evidence.
What Ghanaians expect from you is not another comparison with the previous administration, but a clear response to the specific concerns raised. As a public official entrusted with taxpayers’ money, you have a responsibility to ensure that public expenditure is transparent, properly documented and open to scrutiny.
Political affiliations should not determine the standards we apply to public accountability. If we demanded transparency from the previous government, we must demand the same from the current government. That is how a country builds public trust and strengthens its democratic institutions.
Minister Ablakwa, please address the discrepancies, publish the relevant supporting records where appropriate, and allow an independent audit to establish the facts. If your Ministry’s records are complete and accurate, the evidence should settle the matter. If errors are identified, they should be corrected and responsibility established where necessary. Ghanaians are not asking for political arguments. They are asking for answers.
Public funds belong to the people, and every government has a duty to account for their use. No administration should consider itself above scrutiny.
ACCOUNTABILITY MUST BE CONSISTENT, TRANSPARENCY MUST BE NON-NEGOTIABLE, AND PUBLIC TRUST MUST BE EARNED.
Peter Thompson
Secretary, NPP Finland Branch.
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