Ablakwa deserve no applause over South Africa evacuation – Kofi Kapito

Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Protection Agency, Kofi Kapito, has asserted that Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa does not deserve praise over Ghana’s evacuation of citizens from South Africa.

His comments follow the evacuation of Ghanaians affected by xenophobic tensions in South Africa, where reports indicate continued attacks on foreign-owned businesses linked to protests over illegal immigration.

Ghana has since repatriated its nationals in phases, with the third group arriving in Accra on June 7, bringing the total number of evacuees to about 1,000.

Speaking on Accra-based Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Monday, June 8, Kapito argued that the evacuation exercise was a routine responsibility of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and should not be framed as an extraordinary achievement.

“If you want me to appreciate the job of a minister, a foreign minister doing what Okudzeto Ablakwa did is normal business. He didn’t do anything extra,” he said.

He added that government officials are being praised for performing basic duties expected of them.

"We like mediocrity. We applaud people for not doing too much. This thing is done over and over. He was just doing his duty,” Kapito stated.

His remarks come amid ongoing public debate over the recent Ghana Ministers of State Honour, which recognised selected ministers and chief executive officers for their service.