South Africa evacuation: NPP has the right to question discrepancies GH¢49.7m spending – Egyapa Mercer

Former Sekondi Member of Parliament Andrew Egyapa Mercer has defended the New Patriotic Party’s demand for further explanations over the GH¢49.72 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa.

He said the party had a responsibility to question the government’s expenditure and should not be accused of seeking to create a scandal simply because it had raised concerns about the records provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking on TV3’s New Day on Monday, October 19, Mr Mercer rejected suggestions that the NPP should remain silent because it was in opposition, insisting that public expenditure must be subjected to scrutiny.

He said the NPP is not accusing Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of embezzling public funds but was seeking clarification on discrepancies it had identified in the expenditure records.

The former lawmaker argued that the opposition had a duty to examine the documents and ask questions about the cost of the evacuation, including the reported US$750,000 charge for each of three chartered flights.

“If you tell me that you chartered a flight for $750,000 per flight, I ought to ask you questions because I can go out there in the market and go and ask,” he said.

The controversy follows the NPP’s demand for the original invoices for the three chartered flights, which it says would help establish whether the reported charges reflected the actual cost of the services.

According to documents released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, GH¢27.18 million was spent on chartered flights, representing about 55 per cent of the total GH¢49.72 million expenditure on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.

The evacuation exercise was conducted between May 27 and September 4, 2026, following xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The total expenditure comprised GH¢33.72 million in direct government funding and GH¢16 million in support from Engineers and Planners.

The NPP has also questioned discrepancies in records relating to reintegration grants, transport allowances and commercial flight arrangements.

It has called for an independent audit and given the minister seven days to provide additional supporting documents.