Ablakwa Under Pressure as Minority Seeks Audit of GH¢49.72m South Africa Evacuation Expenses

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is under pressure after the Minority said it found major discrepancies in South Africa evacuation expenses.

The Minority called for an independent audit of the GH¢49.72 million spent evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa after xenophobic attacks. The discrepancies were found in payment registers and flight records from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At a news conference in Accra on Sunday, October 11, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the audit should be done by an independent accounting firm, with findings and terms of reference made public.

Analysis of documents
He said the Minority’s analysis of documents released by Mr Ablakwa under a Right to Information request found inconsistencies in reintegration grants, transport allowances and flight expenses.

Mr Ayeh said the minister indicated each of the 1,964 evacuees received GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and GH¢500 transport allowance. But they found only 824 names appeared across both payment registers.

He said documents accounted for 926 people on chartered flights and 247 through commercial flight records—1,173 total. The Minority argues the records do not adequately account for the remaining 791 people.

Duplicated entries
Mr. Ayeh also alleged duplicated entries across reintegration, transport and flight records. He said 442 minors were in the reintegration register, and the Minority wants clarification on whether payments were made directly to them or through parents or guardians.

He acknowledged the RTI response added information but said it did not fully address payment reconciliation, duplicated and unsigned entries, and supporting documents for flight and logistical costs.

Proposed firms
The Minority proposed Deloitte Ghana, KPMG Ghana, PricewaterhouseCoopers or Ernst & Young Ghana, or another comparable independent firm conduct the audit. It wants findings made public to establish whether spending and evacuee numbers reconcile with supporting documents. “Only a thorough independent and transparent audit with findings made public can restore the confidence of the Ghanaian people in the public management of their funds,” Mr Ayeh said.

The Minority says the audit is necessary to strengthen public accountability over funds used to evacuate Ghanaians from South Africa.