Minority Boycotts Foreign Affairs Committee Meeting Over South Africa Evacuation

The Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has declined to participate in a closed-door briefing on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, insisting that the government first provide detailed records on how the exercise was funded and executed.

The committee was scheduled to meet Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, to discuss the evacuation exercise.

The Minority says it will not attend unless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides the itemised expenditure and supporting documents it requested under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989).

According to the Caucus, its request, submitted on August 17 and received by the Ministry on August 25, sought details on the cost of the exercise, sources of funding, contributions from private partners, transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical expenses and reintegration payments. It also requested relevant procurement and payment records.

The demand follows Mr Ablakwa’s disclosure on September 7 that the government had spent about GH¢49.72 million on the evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians from South Africa. The reported expenditure covered transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical care, reintegration support and related costs.

The Minority maintains that the overall figure alone does not provide enough information for Parliament and the public to independently verify how the funds were spent.

The Caucus has stressed that it supports the evacuation of Ghanaians whose safety was threatened by xenophobic attacks in South Africa, but says that support does not remove the government’s obligation to account for public funds used for the exercise.

It has therefore renewed its demand for the Foreign Affairs Ministry to release the full expenditure breakdown and supporting documentation before it participates in the closed-door briefing.