SA evacuation exercise: Foreign Affairs Ministry rejects Minority's claim of unaccounted figures

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected claims by the Minority in Parliament regarding missing funds from the South Africa evacuation exercise, calling the Opposition's math confusing and incorrect.

This follows an accusation by the Minority caucus saying the Minister of Foreign Affairs misused funds meant for the evacuation of some Ghanaians from South Africa. The exercise followed the xenophobic attacks initiated by some South Africans to other African nationals in the country, including Ghanaians.

According to the caucus, over 1,000 returnees' records are missing from the data, and demanding the Minister to account for the millions of cedis spent for their evacuation.

However, the Ministry says the allegations are premature and baseless, describing their claims as inconsistent.

In an interview on TV3's News Central on Monday, October 19, 2026, Media Relations Officer for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Fred Duhoe, debunked the Minority's allegations.

He cited paragraphs 9, 10 and 11 from a press statement issued by the Minority on Sunday, October 18, 2026, where they claimed only 824 Ghanaians returned from South Africa on a chartered flight and not 1,964 as the Ministry's official records have it.

According to Duhoe, the Minority subtracted the 824 from the Ministry's 1,964 total, making them claim 1,140 individuals were unaccounted for, translating into GH₵6.27 million in unallocated allowances.

"The same Minority on Paragraph 11 say that per their checks, 926 people came into the country on the chartered flight," Duhoe noted.

He said the Foreign Affairs Ministry didn't hold back on the Opposition's strategy. "There are inconsistencies in what the Minority is arguing about," he stated, adding that "they are just putting out figures and hoping that people will follow them."

Addressing concerns over incomplete arrival records during the first batch of evacuees, the Ministry explained that speed took priority over initial paperwork.

"The document prepared for people to go to the Ministry and take did not have birth certificates and necessary details," Duhoe noted, confirming that full background tracking was added during the second wave.

The Ministry also pushed back against the Opposition setting mandates or financial timelines for government agencies.

"The NPP caucus has no locus to hold us to any timelines," Duhoe insisted. "What the law demands is the Auditor-General to carry out audits such as this and lay all the facts."

The Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed it has officially invited the Auditor-General’s Department to inspect all accounts regarding the evacuation exercise.

Meanwhile, the sector Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says he has called for audit into all evacuations carried by the Ministry, including those during the Russia and Ukraine impasse.