Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has rejected claims that some Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa received less than the government’s proposed reintegration allowance, insisting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received a single complaint from any of the evacuees since the exercise began.
According to the minister, each of the approximately 1,000 Ghanaians on the evacuation list was expected to receive GH¢5,000 as a reintegration package and an additional GH¢500 as transportation allowance, bringing the total to GH¢5,500 per person.
Mr Ablakwa expressed surprise at reports suggesting that some evacuees received only GH¢2,000 instead of the announced GH¢5,000 reintegration allowance, describing the allegations as inconsistent with the arrangements communicated to the beneficiaries before and after their arrival in Ghana.
He made the remarks in Accra on Monday, October 26, 2026, when some of the evacuees held a press conference to address issues surrounding their evacuation and the assistance provided by the government.
The minister maintained that the government had clearly communicated the financial package to the evacuees before their departure from South Africa and reiterated the information when they arrived at the airport in Ghana.
Mr Ablakwa explained that the evacuees were informed ahead of their return that they would receive GH¢5,000 as a reintegration allowance and GH¢500 to cover transportation costs.
He said the arrangements were communicated again upon their arrival, when government officials welcomed them at the airport in the presence of the media.
According to him, the beneficiaries were given envelopes containing the respective allowances at the airport and were encouraged to open them and verify the amounts received.
“We encouraged all of them at the airport to go receive their envelopes, to open the envelopes and check that indeed, that is the amount,” he said.
The minister stressed that the payments were made directly at the airport, rather than requiring the evacuees to visit another office at a later date to collect their money.
He added that some of the beneficiaries were captured opening and counting their money, with the process also documented by bloggers who were present at the airport.
Mr Ablakwa said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not received any complaint about missing payments or discrepancies in the amounts distributed during the more than four months since the evacuation exercise commenced.
He said the absence of complaints had made reports that some beneficiaries received GH¢2,000 rather than GH¢5,000 particularly surprising.
The minister said he was taken aback by claims from a media organisation that it had contacted individuals whose names appeared on a list provided by the government and that at least three of them had allegedly reported receiving GH¢2,000.
“I am therefore absolutely surprised that a media outlet is claiming that the list we provided, they have called persons on that list. And at least three of them are claiming that the envelopes we gave them was not up to 5,000 cedis, it was 2,000 cedis,” he stated.
He questioned why any beneficiary who had received less than the announced amount would not have raised the issue immediately at the airport or after returning home.
Mr Ablakwa argued that the evacuees had been informed about the package before their departure and reminded of it upon arrival, making it difficult for him to understand why alleged discrepancies would only emerge months later through media enquiries.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also defended the officials responsible for administering the payments, saying he has confidence in the integrity of the teams involved in the operation.
Although he acknowledged that he did not personally hand over the money to the evacuees, he said he trusted the ministry’s Finance Directorate, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) team and the National Security team involved in the exercise.
Mr Ablakwa maintained that the officials are public servants of integrity and rejected suggestions that they would deliberately take advantage of vulnerable Ghanaians who had experienced traumatic circumstances in another country.
“I will always defend my colleagues at the Foreign Ministry. Even though I did not personally hand over these funds, I know that the team, the Finance Directorate of my ministry, the NADMO team, the National Security team, these are all public servants of impeccable integrity,” he said.
He expressed concern that the allegations could undermine public confidence in the officials who facilitated the evacuation and the assistance provided to the returnees.
Mr Ablakwa further noted that the reintegration package and transportation allowance represented a departure from previous evacuation exercises, during which, according to him, Ghanaians returning from other countries had not received similar financial support.
He described the provision of the GH¢5,500 package as an additional form of assistance intended to help the evacuees settle back into the country after their return from South Africa.
The minister suggested that the allegations could discourage the government from intervening in similar circumstances in the future, although he did not provide further details on how the claims might affect subsequent evacuation exercises.
The controversy comes amid scrutiny of the government’s handling of the evacuation, including questions surrounding the expenditure incurred and the support provided to the returnees.
While Mr Ablakwa has maintained that all beneficiaries were informed of the amounts they were expected to receive and that no complaints had been lodged with his ministry, the reported claims of underpayment raise questions that could be resolved through a transparent review of the payment records and direct engagement with the affected individuals.
By 1960news.com
