… Demands Invoices, Receipts, Contracts and Payment records over expenditure on 1,964
Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded comprehensive documentary evidence from Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to account for GH¢49,721,786 reportedly spent in connection with the evacuation and support of 1,964 Ghanaians who fled xenophobic violence in South Africa.
At a press conference yesterday 18th October 2026, the party’s Communications Director , Dennis Edward Aboagye
insisted that television interviews, social media posts, assurances and PowerPoint presentations could not substitute for the financial records required to demonstrate how public funds were spent.
The NPP stressed that its demand was not intended to undermine the humanitarian response to the crisis but to ensure that public expenditure was properly documented, reconciled and made available for independent scrutiny.
“We begin where every Ghanaian begins, and that is, we are glad our brothers and sisters came home,” the statement said.
The party also mourned the deaths of Bashiru Issahaq, Kwadwo Antwi, Amoonu Jailor Nash and Ebenezer Ayi Tawiah, while expressing gratitude to churches, companies, public agencies and individuals who supported victims during the crisis.
However, it maintained that the humanitarian nature of the operation did not remove the obligation to account for the money spent.
ASAFO-ADJEI’S QUESTIONS REMAIN
The NPP said its Minority in Parliament, led on the matter by the Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho, Asafo Adjei, had asked the Foreign Affairs Minister straightforward questions about the expenditure.
According to the party, the subsequent public responses from Ablakwa had failed to provide the documentary evidence necessary to reconcile his explanations with the expenditure under scrutiny.
“Ghana did not ask the Minister for an explanation. Ghana asked for an account. And until the account is produced, this matter is not closed,” the statement declared.
The party argued that the distinction between an explanation and an account was fundamental to public financial management.
An explanation, it said, consisted of what an official told the public, while an account required verifiable records capable of establishing how much was spent, who received the money, what goods or services were provided and whether the payments matched the stated purposes.
‘SHOW US THE PAPER TRAIL’
The NPP called for invoices, receipts, contracts, payment vouchers and signed attendance or beneficiary sheets to support the expenditure.
It argued that these records would enable Parliament, auditors and the public to independently examine the figures and determine whether the expenditure had been properly accounted for.
“An explanation asks for trust. An account earns it, with invoices, receipts, contracts, payment vouchers and signed sheets that anyone can check,” the statement said.
The party further criticised what it described as a growing disparity between the Minister’s public explanations and the documentary evidence available for scrutiny.
It insisted that public funds could not be satisfactorily accounted for through verbal assurances or presentations that did not reconcile with the underlying records.
“Public money is not accounted for by word of mouth. It is accounted for in documents laid before the public, Parliament and examined by auditors,” the statement added.
HUMANITARIANISM CANNOT REPLACE ACCOUNTABILITY
The controversy raises an important question about the balance between emergency humanitarian action and public financial accountability.
Emergency evacuations can require rapid decisions and urgent expenditure. However, the NPP’s position is that such circumstances do not eliminate the need for proper records and subsequent financial reconciliation.
The party maintained that Ghanaians deserved evidence demonstrating how the GH¢49.72 million was allocated and spent, particularly given the scale of the expenditure and the number of citizens reportedly involved.
It also argued that the records should be sufficiently detailed to allow independent verification rather than requiring the public to rely solely on the Minister’s assurances.
The NPP did not dispute the importance of bringing endangered Ghanaians home. Instead, it insisted that the financial questions surrounding the operation must be addressed separately and transparently.
THE ACCOUNTABILITY TEST
At the heart of the party’s statement is a demand for verifiable documentation that can be compared with the Minister’s public presentations.
The NPP said it would not accept rhetoric in place of records and maintained that the expenditure should remain open to scrutiny until the figures had been reconciled.
The party’s challenge to the Foreign Affairs Minister is therefore clear: provide the supporting documents, demonstrate how the expenditure was calculated, and make it possible for Parliament and the public to independently assess the account.
