Minority Boycotts Foreign Affairs Committee Meeting Over South Africa Evacuation Expenditure

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has boycotted a closed-door meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee on the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals from South Africa.

The meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2026, for Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to provide a briefing to the committee.

In a press statement issued on September 15, 2026, and signed by the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel A. Jinapor, the Caucus said that while it supported the government’s decision to evacuate Ghanaian citizens whose safety was threatened by xenophobic attacks in South Africa, that support does not dispense with the government’s obligation to account fully and transparently for public funds.

The statement disclosed that on August 17 2026, the Minority submitted a formal request under the Right to Information Act, requesting comprehensive information and supporting records on the cost and financing of the evacuation exercise, which the Minister had indicated was funded by the Government of Ghana and “Ghanaian partners”.

According to the Minority, the information sought included detailed expenditure incurred, sources of funding, identities and contributions of private partners, expenditure on flights and other transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical services, reintegration payments, as well as relevant procurement and payment records.

The request was received by the Ministry on August 25 2026; however, the Ministry has failed to furnish the Minority with the itemised account and supporting documentation requested under the RTI Act to enable Parliament and the public to ascertain how the funds were actually expended.

Despite this, Caucus noted that on September 7, 2026, the Minister announced that almost Fifty Million Ghana cedis (GH¢50,000,000.00) had been expended on the evacuation and reintegration of 1,964 Ghanaians.

The Minority said the expenditure of public funds carries with it a corresponding duty of accountability, and the government must be prepared to account not only for the total amount spent, but also for how that expenditure was incurred and the basis upon which public funds were applied.

“In these circumstances, the Minority does not consider it appropriate to participate in a closed-door meeting intended to discuss the same subject matter while its formal request for the underlying expenditure records remains outstanding,” the statement said.

The Caucus therefore reiterated its call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make full disclosure of the expenditure relating to the evacuation exercise, stating that it will remain resolute in demanding transparency and accountability in the use of taxpayers’ funds, a responsibility owed not only to Parliament but ultimately to the Ghanaian people.

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