By Kwabena Adu Koranteng
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is facing renewed pressure to account for the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa, following reports of a demonstration by members of the Ghanaian community in Canada demanding receipts and a detailed breakdown of the expenditure.
According to a video caption published by GhanaianNewsCanadaTv on YouTube, demonstrators in Ottawa called for greater transparency over the money spent on the evacuation exercise, which followed xenophobic attacks and threats against foreign nationals in South Africa.
The reported protest adds an international dimension to the growing controversy over the government’s handling of the evacuation and whether the documentation released so far is sufficient to account for the expenditure.
At the heart of the dispute is a straightforward demand: Ghanaians want documentary evidence showing how the money was spent, who received payments and whether the expenditure can withstand an independent audit.
GH¢49.72 MILLION UNDER SCRUTINY
The government has reported spending GH¢49.72 million on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026.
According to the figures attributed to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, GH¢33.72 million came from direct government funding, while GH¢16 million was contributed by Engineers and Planners, a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama.
The expenditure reportedly covered chartered flights, commercial airline tickets, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation, medical treatment and hospitalisation, as well as allowances for returnees.
The Ministry has also stated that each evacuee received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration allowance and GH¢500 for transportation.
However, the size of the reported expenditure has intensified calls for the government to make available sufficiently detailed records to enable independent verification.
Questions about passenger manifests, flight arrangements, payment registers, invoices and the documentation supporting individual expenditure items have become central to the controversy.
MINORITY DEMANDS INDEPENDENT AUDIT
The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for an independent audit of the evacuation expenditure, raising questions about the consistency of passenger records, allowance registers and documentation relating to commercial flights.
In a statement dated October 11 and reported by the Ghana News Agency, the Minority alleged discrepancies in the documents it had reviewed and estimated that more than GH¢16 million required further reconciliation.
The caucus has called for an independent examination to establish whether the expenditure was properly documented and whether the amounts reported correspond with the services provided and payments made.
These are allegations and estimates advanced by the Minority, not final findings of an independent audit establishing financial wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, the questions warrant clear answers from the authorities responsible for the exercise.
An expenditure of this magnitude demands records that can be examined and reconciled, rather than assurances that cannot be independently verified.
HUMANITARIAN MISSION, PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
The evacuation was undertaken to protect Ghanaian citizens facing safety concerns amid xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant tensions in South Africa.
The humanitarian objective of the exercise is not the principal issue in the financial controversy. The central question is whether the expenditure has been adequately documented and accounted for.
Protecting citizens abroad and safeguarding public resources are complementary responsibilities. Neither should be sacrificed in the pursuit of the other.
The government can help resolve the controversy by publishing a comprehensive expenditure statement supported by invoices, contracts, passenger manifests, payment records and a reconciliation of funds received and spent.
Such disclosure would allow the public to distinguish legitimate emergency expenditure from any discrepancies that might require correction or further investigation.
QUESTIONS THAT DEMAND ANSWERS
If independently verified, the reported demonstration in Ottawa would underscore the extent to which the evacuation controversy has attracted attention among Ghanaians living abroad.
The demand for receipts and a detailed breakdown reflects a wider accountability concern: citizens expect public expenditure to be transparent, particularly when substantial sums are involved.
For Minister Ablakwa and the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the most effective response would be to make the relevant records available and address the specific questions raised by the Minority and other concerned citizens.
