$750,000 Per Flight: Ghana's Evacuation Bill Needs Answers, Not Slogans ‎

A figure on a front page can sound like a verdict, but it is really a question. The question here is whether the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa was priced fairly.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced on 7 September that the exercise cost GH¢49,721,786, made up of GH¢33.7 million in direct government funding and GH¢16 million attributed to a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama. That covered chartered flights, commercial tickets, transport, feeding, accommodation, medical care and reintegration support.

On 18 October, the opposition NPP escalated. According to Asaase Radio, NPP Communications Director Dennis Miracles Aboagye said the ministry's records put each of three chartered flights at $750,000, while the party's industry inquiries suggested comparable flights cost between $180,000 and $300,000.

The party also gave the minister seven days, demanding charter flight invoices and contracts, payment vouchers, signed payment records and a full list of the 1,964 evacuees with proof of payment. It warned that it would back the Minority in pursuing urgent questions in Parliament if the demands are not met.

The Minority has raised related questions. One MP argued that about GH¢7.18 million in flight-related spending requires further explanation, and called for manifests, tickets and invoices to be published.

The government's side deserves equal weight. Ablakwa has publicly defended the evacuation arrangements and presented explanations and documents relating to the exercise. A price gap alone does not prove inflated costs.

Emergency charters booked at short notice, on routes with limited availability, can cost far more than the quotes an opposition party gathers afterwards. Without the contracts, nobody outside the ministry can tell which side is right.

That is the point of the dispute: the documents settle it. If the invoices match the figures, the minister is vindicated and the opposition has to withdraw the claim. If they do not, the public is owed an explanation.

There is also a consistency test for both sides. The NPP has argued that Ablakwa previously pressed successive governments for detailed explanations of public expenditure while in opposition. The same standard applies to the NPP, which in government was asked to account for its own travel and charter costs. Accountability that depends on who holds power is not accountability.

Ghana can settle this without a shouting match. The ministry should publish the invoices, contracts and passenger lists, and the Auditor-General should confirm them. Citizens who funded the rescue deserve a clear account of what it cost and why.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880.

Sources: The Metro Lens, 19 October 2026, front page; Asaase Radio, "Publish the original Ethiopian Airlines invoices," 18 October 2026 (https://asaaseradio.com/publish-the-original-ethiopian-airlines-invoices-miracles-challenges-ablakwa-over-charter-flights/);

Fish FM, "NPP gives Ablakwa 7-day ultimatum" (https://www.fishfmonline.com/2026/10/18/npp-gives-ablakwa-7-day-ultimatum-over-south-africa-evacuation-spending-vows-further-action/);

GhanaWeb, Minority's evacuation bill audit demand (https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Minority-uncovers-GH-16-4m-black-hole-in-Ablakwa-s-GH-49-7m-Evacuation-Bill-demands-independent-audit-2056195).