Ablakwa cites GH¢96.97m COVID-19 evacuation cost to counter Minority’s GH¢16m claims over South Africa exercise

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has cited the GH¢96.97 million spent on Ghana’s COVID-19 evacuation exercise in 2020 to challenge the Minority in Parliament’s concerns over the GH¢49.72 million expenditure on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.

Mr Ablakwa argued that the cost of the COVID-19 evacuation was significantly higher, despite most of the returnees paying for their own air tickets, quarantine and COVID-19 tests, with government support limited to a few vulnerable individuals.

“Out of this GH¢96.9 million, GH¢44 million was spent on quarantine alone. There was no reintegration or transport allowance, no medical bills paid. And yet they say they have never heard of GH¢49.7 million evacuation,” he said.

The minister made the remarks during an appearance on JoyNews’ Newsfile last Saturday, in response to allegations by the Minority that more than GH¢16 million could not be accounted for in the recent evacuation exercise.

The operation, which took place between May 27 and September 4, 2026, followed xenophobic attacks in South Africa that resulted in the deaths of four Ghanaians.

Mr Ablakwa dismissed the allegations, insisting that all expenditure could be accounted for and that no public funds were missing.

“I can state unequivocally, without any scintilla of doubt, that not a cedi, not a pesewa, is missing,” he said.

Ablakwa breaks down evacuation expenditure

The minister said the total cost of the South Africa evacuation was GH¢49,721,786, comprising GH¢33,721,786 from the government and a GH¢16 million donation from Engineers and Planners, a company owned by Ibrahim Mahama.

He explained that, on the instructions of President John Dramani Mahama, each of the 1,964 evacuees, including children, received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration allowance and GH¢500 for transportation.

The allowances amounted to GH¢10,802,000, he said, adding that the payments were made openly at the Accra International Airport upon the evacuees’ arrival, with media representatives present.

To support his account, Mr Ablakwa presented 177 pages of sign-off sheets containing the names, dates of birth, passport numbers, telephone numbers and handwritten signatures of the beneficiaries.

He said GH¢84,274 was also spent on the repatriation of two bodies and autopsies, while the remaining expenditure covered flights, medical care and hospitalisation for some evacuees who fell ill.

According to the minister, 956 Ghanaians travelled on chartered flights, while 1,008 used commercial flights, at a total cost of GH¢38,835,512.

The commercial flights involved Ethiopian Airlines, which transported 260 passengers; Air Tanzania, 598; ASKY Airlines, 130; and EgyptAir, 20.

Mr Ablakwa said the ministry had receipts from the airlines, boarding passes and flight manifests containing the names of all 1,964 evacuees.

“If you can't count manually, how about checking the receipt, the ticket, the boarding passes? The flight manifest has the full 1,964 names,” he said.

Minister challenges Minority’s figures

Mr Ablakwa also questioned the consistency of the Minority’s figures, describing its statement as containing “blatant fabrications, embarrassing discrepancies and infantile errors”.

He said paragraph 19 of the statement identified GH¢16,423,470 as the amount allegedly unaccounted for, while paragraph 22 put the figure at GH¢16,302,586, leaving a difference of more than GH¢120,000.

He further argued that the Minority’s figures on evacuees who received allowances were inconsistent.

According to him, paragraphs 9 and 10 indicated that the Minority had counted only 824 beneficiaries, but paragraph 15 stated that 1,508 people signed for the GH¢5,000 reintegration allowance and 1,001 signed for the GH¢500 transport allowance.

“How is that possible? What kind of voodoo analysis is this?” he queried.

The minister also disputed the Minority’s claim that only 247 Ghanaians travelled on commercial flights, saying the same statement counted 442 minors among commercial-flight passengers.

“You claim there are only 247 on commercial flights and yet you count 442 children. More than the total number. Their argument collapses like a pack of cards,” he said.

Minority insists on need for audit

Responding to the minister’s explanation, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said the Minority had not accused Mr Ablakwa of wrongdoing.

“I am on record to have said we have not accused the Minister of wrongdoing. I am on record to have said that we are not even suggesting that some misappropriation or embezzlement or whatever is taking place.

“We simply say that there are some discrepancies and some amounts seem not to have been accounted for,” Mr Jinapor said.

He maintained that the Minority was carrying out its parliamentary oversight responsibility over the Foreign Affairs Ministry and said a formal audit would help resolve the concerns.

Although he described Mr Ablakwa’s presentation as useful, Mr Jinapor stressed that it did not conclude the matter.

He also declined to make a definitive assessment of the discrepancies cited by the minister, particularly those involving paragraphs 9 and 15 of the Minority’s statement, saying he had not critically examined them.

Mr Jinapor said he would therefore not associate himself with the minister’s description of the Minority’s analysis as “voodoo analysis.”