Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed that the government will soon launch a Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund to provide emergency assistance to nationals facing crises abroad.
Addressing the media on Monday, September 7, Ablakwa said the fund would serve as a dedicated mechanism to enable the government to respond quickly when Ghanaians are in distress outside the country.
“I wish to announce that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will soon launch a Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund which will serve as an emergency response funding mechanism to swiftly take care of Ghanaians in distress and during crisis situations anywhere in the world.”
He said the need for the fund had become increasingly apparent, particularly following recent crises involving Ghanaians abroad.
According to Ablakwa, 4,972 Ghanaians have been repatriated from various countries since 2025.
The figure includes 3,807 nationals from Libya, 440 from Côte d’Ivoire, 246 from Nigeria, 244 from Cambodia, 201 from Algeria, 18 from Kuwait, eight from Sierra Leone, five from Mauritius, two from Morocco and one from Iraq.
The latest development follows Ghana’s response to renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which led to the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians between May 27 and September 4.
The government has also been pushing for continental action against xenophobic attacks in South Africa, with Ghana’s petition expected to be considered at the African Union Summit in January 2027.
Ablakwa said Ghana had secured the unanimous endorsement of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to pursue the matter at the AU.
He also disclosed that 62 Ghanaians had lost their lives in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while 15 others remain missing and two are currently being held by Ukrainian authorities as prisoners of war.
The proposed Consular Fund is expected to strengthen the government’s capacity to provide timely support to Ghanaians caught up in emergencies abroad.
