Ablakwa releases evacuees’ records amid GH¢16m South Africa evacuation dispute
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has released the names and signatures of 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa to support the government’s defence of its spending amid Minority claims that more than GH¢16 million remains unaccounted for.
Ablakwa said the evacuation cost GH¢49.72 million, with GH¢33.72 million provided by the government and GH¢16 million contributed by Engineers and Planners.
He said GH¢38.8 million went towards flights, accommodation, feeding, transportation and medical expenses, while GH¢10.8 million covered reintegration and transportation allowances.
According to the minister, each evacuee, including infants, received GH¢5,000 in reintegration support and GH¢500 for transportation.
He rejected Minority estimates of GH¢16.42 million and GH¢16.30 million in unaccounted funds, insisting that records supporting the expenditure included passenger manifests, tickets, boarding passes, receipts and signed payment documents.
Ablakwa also challenged the Minority’s claim that only 247 evacuees returned on commercial flights, questioning how that figure aligned with its assertion that 442 minors received the allowances.
He maintained that all evacuees were eligible for the payments regardless of age and said publishing their names and signatures was intended to demonstrate accountability.
“We welcome scrutiny. We only ask that reading the report comes before condemning it. The answers were there; perhaps the reading is still in progress,” he said.
The dispute centres on the accounting of funds used to bring 1,964 Ghanaians back from South Africa.
Source: CNR
About The Author
