The Minority in Parliament is demanding full documentary evidence to account for the government’s reported GH¢49.7 million expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, insisting that announcing a total at a press conference is not enough to establish how public and private funds were spent.
The call was made by the Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho and Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, who said the Minority had no objection to the government’s decision to bring home Ghanaians facing intimidation, violence, loss of property and, in some cases, loss of life.
He said the humanitarian response was necessary, but the urgency of the evacuation should not prevent the government from accounting for the money used.
According to figures announced by the government, 1,964 Ghanaians were evacuated from South Africa at a total cost of GH¢49,721,786.
Of that amount, GH¢38,835,512 was reportedly spent on flights, commercial tickets, transportation, feeding, accommodation, medical care and hospitalisation. Another GH¢10,802,000 was spent on reintegration and transportation allowances.
The government says each evacuee received GH¢5,000 for reintegration and GH¢500 for transportation, while GH¢84,274 was spent on repatriating two mortal remains.
The government reportedly contributed GH¢33,721,786 to the exercise, while Engineers & Planners contributed GH¢16 million. Government has also said all liabilities arising from the evacuation have been settled.
However, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the Minority wants the underlying records that reconcile the figures.
He said he submitted a formal request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), on August 17, 2026, seeking expenditure records, funding authorisations, details of private contributions, flight and procurement records, and accounts relating to reintegration.
Although the Minority welcomed the Foreign Minister’s disclosure of the headline figures, the MP said the figures should be supported by invoices, passenger manifests, contracts, payment records and other primary documents.
Questions over the 1,964 evacuees
The Minority has also raised questions about the reported number of evacuees.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh pointed to the fact that the GH¢10.802 million reportedly spent on reintegration and transportation, when divided by the GH¢5,500 package per evacuee, produces exactly 1,964.
He said this makes it necessary for the government to reconcile two sets of records: the travel ledger showing who actually travelled and the payment ledger showing who received the GH¢5,500 package.
The Minority, he stressed, was not alleging that the two records differ but was asking the government to produce the documents to establish that they cover the same 1,964 people.
Conflicting figures from Phase One
The Minority also wants clarification over figures publicly reported for the first phase of the evacuation.
On May 27, South Africa’s Border Management Authority reportedly recorded 300 Ghanaians processed, with 295 eligible to depart and board. Ghana’s High Commissioner was separately reported as saying that 297 people travelled.
For June 6 and 7, South African records reportedly showed 323 passengers on the Saturday charter and 340 on the Sunday flight.
Ghana’s contemporary public account, however, put the numbers for the first three arrivals at 297, 340 and 342 respectively, giving a total of 979.
On July 27, the Foreign Minister subsequently described Phase One as involving 926 people.
The Minority wants the government to reconcile the figures and provide the passenger manifests showing exactly who was included in the final evacuation total.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the discrepancy should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing, describing it instead as a matter requiring documentary reconciliation.
Minority seeks full account of commercial flights
Questions have also been raised about Phase Two, which was conducted using commercial flights.
The government reported that more than 600 people had returned under Phase Two by August 12. Fifty evacuees arrived on an Air Tanzania flight on August 14, while on August 17 the Ministry described 87 returnees as the 11th batch.
The Minority wants a comprehensive batch-by-batch account showing the date of travel, number of passengers, airline, flight itinerary, ticket issuer, payer, cost of each batch and details of any refunds, cancellations, reissued tickets or no-shows.
According to the Minority, Parliament and taxpayers should not have to piece together the financial details of a government evacuation programme from separate airline schedules and media reports.
Engineers & Planners’ GH¢16m contribution
The Minority is also seeking details of how the GH¢16 million contributed by Engineers & Planners was used.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the Minority was not questioning the company’s decision to support Ghanaians in distress and was not alleging that the contribution was made in exchange for political favour.
The issue, he said, was to establish which invoices, airlines, passenger batches or other expenditure items were settled with the money.
The Minority wants the government to show whether the funds were paid directly to airlines, through intermediaries, reimbursed to government or disbursed through several transactions.
Emergency response and procurement
The Minority also argues that the emergency nature of the evacuation does not remove the need for proper procurement records.
While it stopped short of alleging that procurement laws were breached, it wants the government to disclose the procurement methods used, the suppliers involved, the contracts or booking arrangements, invoices and evidence of payment.
The caucus says there should be an approval trail and sufficient documentation to demonstrate how emergency spending was authorised and accounted for after the evacuation.
Calls for update on victims
Beyond the cost of the evacuation, the Minority is asking the government to provide an update on efforts to secure compensation and accountability for Ghanaians affected by the violence in South Africa.
It wants information on the number of compensation claims registered, the value of documented losses, representations made to South African authorities, investigations or prosecutions known to the government, and the process for securing compensation or restitution for affected citizens.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said bringing endangered Ghanaians home was necessary, but pursuing justice for those who lost property, businesses or loved ones was also part of the state’s responsibility.
“Open the books”
The Minority is therefore calling for the release of the complete 1,964-person evacuation ledger, the GH¢5,500 beneficiary-payment records, the full flight and batch schedule from May 27 to September 4, procurement contracts, quotations, invoices and payment records.
It is also seeking a detailed account of the GH¢16 million Engineers & Planners contribution, records authorising and releasing contingency funds, and a detailed breakdown of the GH¢38.835 million operational expenditure.
The caucus said sensitive personal information could be redacted, stressing that it was not asking for passengers’ passports, medical records or bank account details.
Its demand, it said, was for sufficient documentary evidence to allow Parliament and the public to verify the government’s financial account of the evacuation.
The Minority said it supports the evacuation of Ghanaians who were in danger and commends those who assisted the exercise, but argued that the government’s financial account must be supported by records.
It wants the travel ledger reconciled with the payment ledger, passenger manifests reconciled with the final evacuation numbers, commercial flight batches matched to tickets and invoices, the GH¢16 million contribution linked to identifiable expenditure, and the government’s GH¢33.721 million contribution matched to the relevant funding and contingency records.
For the Minority, the issue is not about making accusations but establishing the facts through documentation.
“A total is not an account,” the caucus said.
