Vice President of policy think tank IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called on major South African multinational companies operating in Ghana to absorb part of the cost of evacuating Ghanaian nationals fleeing targeted Afrophobic attacks in South Africa.

According to the outspoken legal practitioner and policy analyst, the Ghanaian state should no longer bear the full fiscal burden of emergency repatriations while South African companies continue to repatriate billions of dollars in profits from the Ghanaian market.

Bentil argued that requiring these businesses to contribute to the evacuation exercise would demonstrate their opposition to the violence occurring in their home country.

Using state power to silence speech is unconstitutional – Kofi Bentil<4/a>

He emphasised that corporate organisations profiting heavily from integrated African markets have a moral and structural responsibility to publicly condemn violence against fellow Africans and support affected communities.

Speaking on TV3's Key Points on Saturday, May 30, 2026, he singled out major South African retail, telecommunications, and financial giants, saying:

“Companies that make billions across Africa cannot remain silent when Africans are attacked in their home country. What the government is doing comes at a cost. They must bear part of the cost,” he said.

Bentil further advocated a tougher approach in Ghana’s diplomatic engagement with South Africa.

He insisted that when a foreign nation repeatedly fails to protect Ghanaian migrants, the government must treat the systemic violence as a direct affront to Ghana itself.

“When citizens of a country are under attack, the country itself is under attack,” he asserted.

He commended the Ghanaian government's swift efforts to evacuate affected citizens and revealed that he had earlier advised authorities to organise emergency airlifts once the safety of Ghanaians could no longer be guaranteed.

Bentil urged Ghanaians to set aside partisan differences during the crisis, stressing that protecting citizens should transcend political divisions.

“There are times when a nation must assert itself, and one of those times is when its citizens are under attack,” he said.

He dismissed arguments seeking to justify the violence by citing the immigration status of victims, noting that international humanitarian law requires every person within a country's territory to be protected, regardless of documentation.

“If anybody enters your territory, you have a responsibility to protect that person,” Bentil argued.

He described the recurring attacks as evidence of a systemic failure by South African authorities, adding that repeated incidents can no longer be treated as isolated events.

“When something happens once, it may be accidental. Twice may be a coincidence. By the third time, it becomes a pattern that demands accountability,” he noted.

Boycott all South African businesses in Ghana - Kofi Bentil tells government

Bentil also criticised the African Union for what he described as its weak response to challenges affecting ordinary Africans.

He called on the continental body to move beyond press releases and actively hold member states accountable for human rights violations.

To compel change, he suggested that Ghana should reassess aspects of its economic ties with South African businesses if concrete action is not taken to end the attacks.

He clarified that he was not advocating violence or unlawful retaliation, but stressed that the government has legitimate economic, fiscal, and regulatory tools at its disposal.

He added that future bilateral engagements and the licensing of South African companies should take into account the treatment of Ghanaians and other Africans in South Africa.

“We must ensure that our citizens are respected wherever they are. There has to be accountability and there have to be consequences.”

VKB/MA