Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says Ghana is prepared to evacuate more of its citizens from South Africa if the security situation in the country worsens.

He said Ghana’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria had submitted a report to the Ministry describing the situation as “quite a dire situation” amid persistent anti-immigrant sentiment.

'Very painful' – Ablakwa on trauma of Ghanaians evacuated from SA amid xenophobic attacks

According to Ablakwa, recent developments have been partly linked to a ruling by South Africa’s apex court concerning asylum seekers.

Speaking on TV3, the minister said the ministry’s Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau was closely monitoring the situation and assessing the welfare of Ghanaians who may require assistance.

He stressed that the government remained committed to protecting its citizens abroad and would not hesitate to intervene if renewed violence threatened their safety.

“It does not mean that if we have another wave, a deterioration of the situation and there are Ghanaians who need assistance, it does not mean that the door is shut and that we will not move in. We will indeed,” he said.

Ablakwa added that Ghana’s 72 diplomatic missions across the world were monitoring the welfare of Ghanaians in their respective host countries.

He disclosed that more than 6,300 Ghanaians had been evacuated from distress situations worldwide since last year, including citizens rescued from Libya, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Of this number, 1,964 Ghanaians were evacuated from South Africa during the most recent exercise.

On Ghana’s petition to the African Union (AU) over attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, Mr Ablakwa said the continental body had responded and indicated that the matter would be discussed at its next summit in January 2027.

He declined to comment extensively on the latest incident, explaining that he did not want to prejudice discussions expected to take place at the summit.

The Minister, however, urged South African authorities to take stronger measures to prevent further attacks against foreign nationals.

He also called on the authorities to ensure the safety of migrants living in the country amid concerns over anti-immigrant sentiment and the risk of further violence.

NA/VPO