Ablakwa denies GH¢16.4m missing from South Africa evacuation, presents GH¢49.7m breakdown

By: Godbless Asaana‎
‎The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has dismissed allegations by the Minority in Parliament that GH¢16.4 million cannot be accounted for in the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa, insisting that no public funds are missing.
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‎“I can state unequivocally, without any scintilla of doubt, that not a cedi, not a pesewa is missing,” Mr Ablakwa said during an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
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‎The allegations concern an evacuation exercise conducted between May 27 and September 4, 2026, following xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
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‎In response, the Foreign Affairs Minister provided a breakdown of the expenditure, stating that the total cost of the exercise was GH¢49,721,786. Of this amount, the government contributed GH¢33,721,786, while Engineers and Planners, a company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, donated GH¢16 million.
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‎Mr Ablakwa said that, on the instructions of President John Dramani Mahama, each evacuee, including children, received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration allowance and GH¢500 as a transport allowance, bringing the total to GH¢5,500 per person.
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‎He explained that the allowances were distributed openly at the Accra International Airport upon the evacuees’ arrival, with the exercise covered by the media. Some beneficiaries, he added, counted their money at the airport.
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‎To support his account, the Minister said the Ministry had compiled a 177-page PowerPoint presentation containing sign-off sheets for all 1,964 evacuees, including their names, dates of birth, passport numbers, telephone numbers and signatures in ink.
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‎According to him, GH¢10,802,000 was spent on the allowances, while GH¢84,274 covered the repatriation of two mortal remains and autopsy expenses. The remaining expenditure went towards flights, medical care and hospitalisation for some evacuees who fell ill.
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‎He disclosed that 956 Ghanaians were transported on chartered flights, while 1,008 travelled on commercial flights, with the total cost of the flights amounting to GH¢38,835,512.
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‎The commercial flights involved Ethiopian Airlines, which transported 260 evacuees; Air Tanzania, 598; ASKY Airlines, 130; and EgyptAir, 20.
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‎Mr. Ablakwa said the Ministry had receipts from the airlines, boarding passes and flight manifests to substantiate the figures.
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‎“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.
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‎The Minister also questioned the credibility of the Minority’s allegations, describing its press statement as containing “blatant fabrications, embarrassing discrepancies and infantile errors”.
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‎He cited differences in the figures presented in the statement, saying the Minority claimed at paragraph 19 that GH¢16,423,470 was unaccounted for, but cited GH¢16,302,586 at paragraph 22.
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‎He said the difference of more than GH¢120,000 raised questions about the consistency of the Minority’s calculations.
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Mr. ‎Ablakwa further challenged what he described as conflicting figures on the number of evacuees who received allowances.
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‎According to him, the Minority claimed in paragraphs 9 and 10 that it had counted only 824 evacuees who received allowances. However, paragraph 15 reportedly stated that 1,508 people signed for the GH¢5,000 reintegration package, while 1,001 signed for the GH¢500 transport allowance.
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‎“How is that possible? What kind of voodoo analysis is this?” he queried.
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‎He also disputed the Minority’s claim that only 247 Ghanaians were evacuated on commercial flights, arguing that the same statement counted 442 minors among commercial-flight passengers.
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‎“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.
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‎For comparison, Mr Ablakwa cited the 2020 COVID-19 evacuation exercise, which he said cost the taxpayer GH¢96.97 million, despite most evacuees paying for their own air tickets, quarantine and COVID-19 tests.
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‎He said only a few vulnerable individuals received government support during that exercise, adding that no reintegration or transport allowances were provided and medical bills were not covered.
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‎“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.
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‎The Minister maintained that the figures and supporting documents would help establish the actual expenditure incurred during the South Africa evacuation exercise.
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‎He also clarified that he held his predecessors in high esteem and was not accusing anyone of theft, adding that an audit would help clarify the issues surrounding the expenditure.
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‎The allegations and the Minister’s response have brought renewed attention to the need for transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, particularly in emergency operations involving the evacuation and welfare of Ghanaian citizens abroad.