The Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has said it will not participate in a closed-door meeting on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa unless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides an itemised account and supporting documents detailing how funds for the exercise were spent.
The committee was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, with Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expected to brief members on the evacuation exercise.
The Minority, in a statement signed by Samuel A. Jinapor, MP for Damongo and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it had supported the evacuation because of concerns over the safety and welfare of Ghanaian nationals affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
However, the caucus said its support for the humanitarian operation did not remove the government’s responsibility to provide transparency and accountability regarding the use of public funds.
Minority Requests Detailed Evacuation Expenditure
According to the Minority, it submitted a formal request under Ghana’s Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) on August 17, 2026, seeking comprehensive information and financial records relating to the evacuation.
The request, which was received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 25, reportedly sought details on expenditure, sources of funding, contributions from private-sector partners, flights and other transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical services and reintegration payments.
The caucus also requested relevant procurement and payment records connected to the evacuation exercise.
Government Spent GH¢49.7 Million on Evacuation
The demand for an itemised account follows an announcement by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that the government spent GH¢49,721,786 to evacuate and support the reintegration of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
According to the Ghana News Agency, the evacuation exercise ran from May 27 to September 4, 2026, and involved chartered and commercial flights, ground transportation, accommodation, feeding and medical care.
The government has said GH¢38.84 million covered evacuation-related expenses, while GH¢10.802 million was used for reintegration and transportation allowances. A further GH¢84,274 was spent on repatriating two mortal remains.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry also reported that the government directly financed about GH¢33.72 million, while Engineers and Planners contributed GH¢16 million towards the exercise.
Minority Wants Supporting Documents
The Minority says that although the total expenditure has been disclosed, it has yet to receive the detailed financial records requested through the RTI process.
The caucus argues that the supporting documentation is necessary to allow Parliament and the Ghanaian public to examine how the money was spent.
It has therefore maintained that it is not appropriate to attend a closed-door briefing on the evacuation while its request for the underlying expenditure records remains outstanding.
Call for Transparency and Accountability
The Minority has renewed its call for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make full disclosure of the expenditure and provide the supporting records requested.
The caucus said it would continue to exercise its parliamentary responsibility to scrutinise the use of taxpayers’ money and seek transparency regarding government expenditure.
The development has placed renewed attention on the Ghana-South Africa evacuation exercise, government spending, public financial accountability, Right to Information requests and Parliament’s oversight role.
Source: newsthemegh.com