The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken steps to resolve claims of underpayment of allocation for some South African returnees.

In a letter dated October 26, 2026, and signed on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs by Chief Director Ambassador Khadija Iddrisu, the Ministry requested for the names and contact details of the three evacuees who made the allegation to help investigate the claims.

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The request follows comments made by Isaac Kofi Agyei, Head of Research at JoyNews, during the Newsfile programme aired on Saturday, October 24, 2026.

According to the Ministry, Agyei said he had spoken to three evacuees who confirmed receiving GH¢2,000 instead of the widely publicised GH¢5,500 announced by the government.

The Ministry said it considered the allegations serious and wanted to establish the facts by engaging the people involved.

“The Ministry considers these allegations serious and deserving of thorough investigation, particularly as they raise concerns about the integrity of the disbursement process and may adversely affect the reputation of the Ministry and the dedicated officers responsible for administering and supervising the payments,” the letter stated.

The Ministry also asked the media house (JoyNews) to provide information on a separate allegation that about 40 evacuees received the GH¢5,000 reintegration allowance but did not receive the additional GH¢500 transportation allowance.

It further requested the full details of evacuees who allegedly received payments without signing acknowledgement record.

The Ministry said it had not received any complaints from the evacuees about shortfalls in their allowances since the exercise began.

“The Ministry states that the allowances and integration packages were publicly announced before the commencement of the evacuation exercise and that, to date, it has not received any complaint from an evacuee regarding a shortfall in either allowance,” the letter said.

It also questioned why the allegations emerged about five months after the evacuation exercise began, adding that the media house had not contacted the Ministry to verify the claims before reporting them.

It said the information requested would allow it to contact the evacuees, hear their accounts and compare their claims with the relevant payment records.

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The Ministry has therefore urged JoyNews to cooperate with them in their investigation to ascertain if allegations were examined fairly and based on verifiable facts.

“The Ministry remains committed to transparency, accountability and the fair and impartial examination of the matters raised,” the letter added.



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