Foreign Affairs Minister denies claims of missing evacuation funds
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any formal complaints about the payment of reintegration packages and transport allowances to Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa in the past four months.
He said all 1,964 evacuees received GH¢5,000 each as a reintegration package and an additional GH¢500 transport allowance to support their return and resettlement in Ghana.
Mr Ablakwa made the remarks when he addressed members of the Ghanaian community in Ottawa, Canada, during an official visit.
His comments follow media reports alleging that some returnees received GH¢2,000 instead of the total GH¢5,500 allocated to each evacuee.
The Minister said evacuees had been informed about the payments before departing South Africa and again upon arrival in Ghana. He added that they were given two envelopes at the airport and encouraged to open them to verify the amounts received.
According to him, journalists and bloggers were also present during the disbursement, with some recording beneficiaries as they counted their money.
“For more than four months since the evacuation commenced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received a single complaint,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa defended the officials involved in the payment process, including personnel from the Ministry’s Finance Bureau, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and National Security.
He said although he did not personally distribute the money, he stood by the integrity of the officers who handled the exercise.
The Minister described the provision of both a reintegration package and a transport allowance as an additional form of support for Ghanaians returning from the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
He also rejected suggestions that the allegations would discourage the government from assisting citizens facing danger abroad.
“These stories do not add up. And they are calculated to discourage us from always stepping in and rescuing Ghanaians from harm’s way,” he said.
“But I give you one assurance that despite all the vilification, I remain fully committed to the welfare, the protection of the dignity and the rights of Ghanaians. I am not discouraged at all,” he added.
However, media reports cited at least three people whose names appeared on the evacuation list as saying they received GH¢2,000 rather than GH¢5,500. Their accounts raise questions about whether all beneficiaries received the full amount.
The Minister’s comments come amid public scrutiny of the evacuation and the financial assistance provided to returnees following the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.