The Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has declined to participate in a closed-door briefing on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, demanding the release of detailed records on the GH¢49.7 million spent on the exercise.
The Committee was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, September 16, with Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expected to brief members on the evacuation exercise.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minority said it had earlier submitted a formal request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), seeking comprehensive information and supporting recordsso on the cost and financing of the evacuation.
The request, referenced MP/BF/RTI/2026/007, was submitted on August 17 and received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 25, according to the Minority.
It requested an itemised account of expenditure, the sources of funding and the identities and contributions of private partners involved in the exercise, as well as records relating to flights and other transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical services, reintegration payments, procurement and payments.
The Minority said it did not consider it appropriate to participate in a closed-door meeting on the same subject while the requested expenditure records remained outstanding.
“ 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,” the statement said.
The development follows a September 7 briefing by Mr Ablakwa at which he disclosed that GH¢49,721,786 had been spent on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026.
According to the Minister’s breakdown, GH¢38,835,512 was spent on chartered flights, commercial tickets, ground transportation, feeding, hotel accommodation in South Africa, medical care and hospitalisation. A further GH¢10,802,000 went towards reintegration and transportation allowances, while GH¢84,274 was used to repatriate the remains of two Ghanaian nationals.
Mr Ablakwa said the government funded GH¢33,721,786 of the total expenditure, while Engineers and Planners, owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama, contributed GH¢16 million. He also said the full evacuation cost had been paid and there were no outstanding liabilities.
The Minority’s latest position follows concerns raised by the Deputy Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for Bosome-Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, who has called for documentary evidence to support the expenditure figures.
Mr Ayeh has said the Minority is seeking records that would allow Parliament and the public to independently verify how the money was spent, including flight and ticketing records, invoices, procurement documents and details of contributions made by private partners.
The Minority has maintained that its support for the evacuation of Ghanaians whose safety was threatened by the xenophobic attacks is not in question, but that the government must also account transparently for expenditure incurred during the exercise.
The evacuation, which began on May 27, brought 1,964 Ghanaians back to Ghana following renewed xenophobic attacks and anti-foreigner intimidation in parts of South Africa.
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