The Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee says it will not participate in a closed-door meeting on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa unless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides detailed expenditure records for the exercise.
The Minority, in a statement dated Tuesday, September 15, 2026, ahead of a committee meeting scheduled for today, Wednesday, September 16, at which Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is expected to brief the committee on the evacuation.
The caucus said it had supported the evacuation of Ghanaians whose safety was threatened by xenophobic attacks in South Africa but maintained that government must account for public funds used in the exercise.
According to the Minority, it submitted a request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), on August 17 seeking detailed information and supporting records on the cost and financing of the evacuation.
The request, it said, was received by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on August 25.
The Minority said the information requested included expenditure on flights and other transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical services, reintegration payments, procurement and payment records, as well as the sources of funding and contributions from private partners.
The caucus said the Foreign Affairs Minister announced on September 7 that almost GH¢50 million had been spent on the evacuation and reintegration of 1,964 Ghanaians.
“On 7th September 2026, the Minister announced that almost Fifty Million Ghana cedis (GH¢50,000,000.00) had been expended on the evacuation and reintegration of 1,964 Ghanaians.”
The Minority said it had not received the itemised account and supporting documentation it requested.
“In these circumstances, the Minority does not consider it appropriate to participate in a closed-door meeting intended to discuss the same subject matter while its formal request for the underlying expenditure records remains outstanding.”
It therefore stated that it “will not participate in the closed-door meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 16th September 2026, unless and until the Ministry provides the itemized account and supporting records requested.”
The caucus also renewed its call for full disclosure of the expenditure, saying its demand was intended to ensure accountability in the use of public funds.
The government concluded the South Africa evacuation on September 4, with 1,964 Ghanaians brought back between May 27 and September 4.
The exercise cost GH¢49.72 million, according to figures released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, with government funding GH¢33.72 million and Engineers and Planners contributing GH¢16 million.
