The Majority on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee has rejected the Minority’s allegations of accountability gaps in the GH¢49.7 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa, insisting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided documents detailing the expenditure.

Committee Chairman Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije dismissed the claims at a press conference, describing them as “dubious political mischief” and arguing that the Ministry’s response to a Right to Information (RTI) request, which runs into more than 200 pages, provides details of the evacuation exercise.

The dispute follows the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026, after a resurgence of xenophobic attacks. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa put the total cost at GH¢49,721,786, comprising GH¢33,721,786 in government funding and GH¢16 million donated by Engineers and Planners.

According to the Ministry’s expenditure breakdown, GH¢27,183,700 was spent on chartered flights, while GH¢9,420,463.68 covered commercial flight tickets and layover expenses. The two items brought air travel costs to more than GH¢36.6 million.

A further GH¢10.802 million went towards reintegration and transportation allowances for returnees, with each evacuee entitled to GH¢5,000 as a reintegration grant and GH¢500 for transport.

Other expenditures included GH¢997,644 for ground transportation in South Africa, GH¢634,349.99 for feeding, GH¢141,797.86 for hotel accommodation, GH¢20,148 for medical services and hospitalization, and GH¢153,728.09 for communication expenses. The Ministry also reported GH¢98,151 for printing, GH¢162,917.76 for logistics, GH¢84,274 for the repatriation and autopsy of two deceased Ghanaians, and GH¢22,610.84 in miscellaneous expenses.

However, the minority, led on the matter by Deputy Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Bosome-Freho MP Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has questioned whether the supporting records adequately account for the full amount.

After examining the documents provided in response to his RTI request, Mr. Ayeh alleged discrepancies in the registers for reintegration grants and transport allowances.

According to the minority's analysis, only 824 names could be matched across the two payment registers, against the official figure of 1,964 evacuees. The Caucus said the difference of 1,140 people represented approximately GH¢6.27 million in allowances requiring further documentation.

The minority also questioned the commercial flight records. It said the documents identified 926 passengers on chartered flights but only 247 passengers in the commercial flight records it reviewed, leaving an alleged discrepancy of 791 passengers when compared with the official evacuation figure.

Using an estimated average cost of GH¢9,076 per commercial passenger, the Minority calculated that about GH¢7.18 million in flight costs required further explanation.

The Caucus further cited alleged duplicate names in the reintegration and transport registers and a flight manifest, as well as blank and unsigned entries. It also sought clarification on payments involving minors, saying its manual count identified 442 children in the reintegration register.

Combining the issues it identified in the allowance and flight records, the Minority put the expenditure requiring reconciliation at GH¢16,423,470, or about 33 per cent of the total reported cost. These are the Minority’s calculations and allegations, not an independently established finding that the money is missing.

Dr. Vanderpuije, however, maintains that the documents submitted by the ministry address the concerns raised and contradict the allegation that the expenditure has not been accounted for.

The majority has also called on the attorney-general to initiate a forensic investigation into evacuation exercises undertaken by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

The disagreement has intensified calls for scrutiny of public spending, with the minority insisting that the records must be reconciled and the majority maintaining that the ministry has provided the necessary account.

The central issue remains whether the documentation can satisfactorily reconcile the reported expenditure with the passenger records, payment registers, and other supporting documents.