By James Amoh Junior, GNA
Accra, Sept. 7, GNA – The Government spent GH¢49,721,786 to evacuate 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.
The evacuation exercise, which began on May 27 and ended on September 4, 2026, involved chartered and commercial flights, ground transportation, accommodation, feeding and medical care.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, disclosed this at a media briefing in Accra on Monday, where he accounted for the exercise and its financial cost.
He said GH¢38,835,512 of the expenditure covered chartered flights, tickets, ground transportation, feeding, hotel accommodation in South Africa, medical care and hospitalisation.
Another GH¢10,802,000 was spent on reintegration and transportation allowances, while GH¢84,274 was used to repatriate two mortal remains.
Mr Ablakwa said the Government itself spent GH¢33,721,786, while Engineers and Planners, owned by Mr Ibrahim Mahama, donated GH¢16 million towards the exercise.
He said the entire evacuation cost had been fully paid, with no outstanding liabilities.
Each evacuee, the Minister said, received a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and GH¢500 travel and transportation allowance to support their return and immediate needs.
The returnees also received free medical screening by Port Health, registration under the National Health Insurance Scheme, food packages and SIM cards loaded with data and money.
Psychologists and trauma counsellors were deployed to provide support upon arrival and through community-based sessions, while faith-based organisations and civil society groups offered additional emotional and spiritual support.
Mr Ablakwa said the evacuation followed a deterioration in the security situation in parts of South Africa, particularly within the Durban Central Business District in KwaZulu-Natal Province.
He said there had been a resurgence of anti-foreigner sentiment and intimidation targeting African nationals, including Ghanaians, since April 2026.
The Minister said the situation was linked to activities of vigilante groups, including “March and March” and “Operation Dudula”, whose members were observed stopping people in public places, questioning them about their nationality and immigration status and, in some instances, engaging in “citizen’s arrests” and looting shops.
He said public calls by anti-immigration groups for foreign nationals to leave South Africa by June 30 had resulted in some Ghanaians losing property and assets, while four Ghanaians lost their lives.
The deceased were identified as Mr Bashiru Issahaq, a 44-year-old father of three who was murdered in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on June 30, and Mr Kwadwo Antwi, who was murdered in Prieska in the Northern Cape on July 18.
The others were Mr Amoonu Jailor Nash, who was murdered in East London on April 3, and Mr Ebenezer Ayi Tawiah, who died after reportedly being unable to access medical care due to harassment by South African vigilantes.
Mr Ablakwa said the Government intervened to protect Ghanaians whose safety and welfare were at risk.
He said Ghana was the first country to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, using chartered and commercial flights, with the first flight on May 27 prioritising vulnerable groups, including children, the sick, the aged and women.
The exercise was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria, with support from the Presidency, National Security Secretariat and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Mr Ablakwa said the evacuation had not been anticipated and was therefore not budgeted for, but the Government had to act swiftly to protect the lives of its citizens.
Beyond the evacuation, he said the Government was considering longer-term economic empowerment measures for the returnees.
All evacuees had been enrolled on a special national database through which they could be linked to employment opportunities, entrepreneurship support initiatives, skills development programmes and start-up opportunities, in collaboration with relevant state institutions and private sector partners.
On the four deaths, Mr Ablakwa said the Government was pursuing diplomatic and legal avenues to ensure justice for the victims.
He said Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria had formally lodged a protest with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation and filed a complaint with the South African Police Service in connection with Mr Issahaq’s death.
The Government, he said, was demanding full, transparent and expeditious investigations and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
He said the Government would continue engaging the South African authorities while awaiting the outcome of investigations.
Ghana had also taken the matter to the continental level, with the Government formally petitioning the African Union Commission on May 6 to place xenophobic attacks against African nationals in South Africa on the agenda as an urgent continental concern.
The petition highlighted the recurring loss of lives, attacks on African migrants, destruction of businesses and threats to African unity, free movement and continental integration.
Mr Ablakwa said the AU Commission had formally responded to Ghana’s petition and indicated that the matter would be tabled for deliberations at the AU Summit expected in January 2027.
He also announced that the Ministry would soon launch a Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund as an emergency response funding mechanism to assist Ghanaians in distress or crisis situations anywhere in the world.
The Minister said since 2025, a total of 4,972 Ghanaians had been successfully repatriated to Ghana from various countries, underscoring the financial and logistical burden of responding to unexpected distress situations abroad.
GNA
Reporter: James Amoh Junior
Email: [email protected]
Edited by: Kenneth Sackey