Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has defended Ghana’s swift evacuation of citizens from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks, insisting that the government will not hesitate to act whenever Ghanaians abroad feel threatened.

“When you touch one Ghanaian, you touch all of us,” he declared, describing the statement as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ guiding principle in protecting Ghanaians wherever they find themselves.

Speaking in an interview on TV3’s The Key Points on October 10, 2026, Mr. Ablakwa said the government’s response to the latest wave of xenophobic attacks marked a departure from previous incidents, during which Ghana had not acted as swiftly to evacuate citizens.

“There have been many waves of these xenophobic attacks, but this was the first time that the government of Ghana had acted so swiftly to take our citizens out of harm’s way,” he said.

The minister explained that the evacuation was intended to bring home Ghanaians who felt unsafe, had come under attack, or had fled their homes amid the unrest. Some of the affected citizens, he said, sought refuge at Ghana’s diplomatic mission in South Africa and at the Church of Pentecost.

“What we did was to make sure that every Ghanaian who felt unsafe, who was under attack, who had fled, and who sought refuge in our mission and in the Church of Pentecost had been brought back home safely,” he stated.

Mr Ablakwa added that Ghana became the first country to evacuate its citizens during the crisis, stressing that the exercise focused on those who voluntarily registered with the government to return home.

He said the evacuation reflected the government’s commitment to its consular responsibilities and its duty to protect Ghanaians facing danger outside the country.

“We take our consular responsibilities very seriously, and our motto at the Ministry when it comes to these matters is that ‘when you touch one Ghanaian, you touch all of us,'" he said.

“Any attack on a Ghanaian anywhere in the world is an attack on all of us, and we will immediately mobilize and get our citizens out of harm’s way,” he added.

The minister’s remarks reaffirm the government’s position that the safety and welfare of Ghanaians abroad remain a priority, particularly during periods of unrest and threats to their security.