Bosome Freho MP files RTI request to disclose South Africa evacuation costs, source and Ghanaian partners
The Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho and Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has filed a Right to Information (RTI) request demanding detailed information on government expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
The MP’s request follows an August 13, 2026 statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating that the evacuation exercise was fully funded by the Government of Ghana and “Ghanaian partners.”
The Ministry also stated that more than 1,600 Ghanaian nationals had been evacuated from South Africa since May 2026, with the exercise still ongoing.
However, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the statement did not provide details of the total cost of the exercise, the sources of funding or the identities of the private entities referred to as “Ghanaian partners.”
In his RTI request, he is asking the Ministry to disclose the total amount spent on the evacuation from May 2026 to the date of the request, in both Ghana cedis and US dollars.
He is also seeking a detailed breakdown of the expenditure, together with supporting documents such as invoices, payment vouchers, receipts, contracts, purchase orders and charter agreements.
The MP wants the Ministry to identify the sources of funding and disclose any amounts drawn from the Consolidated Fund, Contingency Fund, its 2026 budget allocation, supplementary appropriations or funds held by the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh is further seeking the names of all individuals, companies and institutions described by the Ministry as “Ghanaian partners”, as well as details of their financial or other contributions and any agreements or arrangements involving them.
The RTI request also covers the evacuation flights. The MP is demanding a schedule showing the dates of the flights, airlines or service providers used, the number of evacuees transported, the cost of each flight and the procurement method applied.
He is also seeking information on reintegration support and transport fares paid to evacuees, including the approved and actual amounts paid per person, eligibility requirements and the total number of beneficiaries.
Details of relief items provided to evacuees have also been requested, including the quantities supplied, unit prices and total expenditure.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the request was being made in the public interest, arguing that once the Ministry had publicly disclosed that the evacuation was funded by the government and Ghanaian partners, citizens were entitled to access information on how the funds were spent.
He has requested that the information be provided electronically and that the Ministry determine the application within the statutory period prescribed under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989).
