“Touch One, Touch All”: Ablakwa Defends GH¢49.7M South Africa Evacuation Operation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has defended the millions evacuated from South Africa as the government showed its solidarity with Ghanaians living abroad. The minister told TV3’s The Key Points on October 10, 2026, that the country’s mantra was “when you touch one Ghanaian, you touch all of us.” The country’s government is always concerned about the welfare of its citizens wherever they are.

The evacuation of Ghanaians began on May 27 and ended on September 4, 2026, after days of heightened anti-immigrant sentiments and xenophobic violence in South Africa. It followed days of anti-immigrant rallies in South Africa and a xenophobic attack in Durban that left many Ghanaians injured. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa attributed the violence in South Africa to a recent South African apex court judgment on asylum seekers.

The Foreign Minister described the mass evacuation as the swiftest response by the country to the plight of Ghanaians in the host country. He said they were particularly targeting the vulnerable Ghanaians who had become vulnerable to attacks, harassment, and intimidation.

There were more than 500 displaced Ghanaians in South Africa, according to data. They had sought assistance from Ghana’s diplomatic missions and the Church of Pentecost. Local Church leaders, including South African National Head Apostle Bernard Boakye Anyimadu and Johannesburg Area Head Apostle James Quaicoe, have helped the Ghanaians in their care. They provided food, shelter, and medication until the Ghanaian government evacuated them.

Ghana became the first country to recall its citizens from South Africa during the xenophobic violence. The country successfully evacuated 1,964 Ghanaians registered to be relocated during the weeks-long operation. The last plane with 41 evacuees landed in Accra on September 4, 2026.

The Ghanaian government spent GH¢49,721,786 on the repatriation exercise. State funds and private donations through Engineers & Planners make up the sum of money spent on the evacuation. The money was used to cover the costs of evacuation, food, and medical treatment for the displaced persons. Additionally, the government gave each person a GH¢5,000 resettlement grant and a GH¢500 transportation aid to help them return to their homes.

The sum of money spent on the evacuation has been questioned by some members of Parliament (MPs). When the Minority Caucus examined a 200-page Right to Information (RTI) document, it discovered that there was a GH¢16.42 million discrepancy. The Ghanaian Parliament’s Minority Caucus accused the government of misappropriating public funds.

Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and a member of the Majority Caucus, dismissed the accusation as mere politics and asked for an audit by the Auditor-General.

The xenophobic violence in South Africa has been brought to the attention of regional leaders by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They requested that it be placed on the agenda of the January 2027 AU Summit. The Foreign Minister reminded the people that the Consular and Humanitarian Bureau will continue to assist and evacuate Ghanaians in the event that the xenophobic violence continues.