Patrick Yaw Boamah, Okaikwei Central Member of Parliament, has said the John Mahama government should have accepted MTN Ghana’s GH¢20 million offer to assist Ghanaians affected by the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
According to Patrick Yaw Boamah, the Mahama government rejecting the offer was not the right decision.
Speaking in an interview on UTV, Patrick Yaw Boamah stated, “The government should have accepted MTN Ghana’s GH¢20 million offer to assist Ghanaians affected by the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Rejecting the offer was not the right decision”.
The development follows the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s announcement that the government of Ghana has turned down MTN Ghana’s GH¢20 million offer to support Ghanaians affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, funds have already been secured for their evacuation and reintegration.
The Ministry disclosed that the Government of Ghana had earlier been directly conveyed to the Board Chair and CEO of MTN when they called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP) on August 14, 2026.
In a press statement issued on August, 26, 2026 read, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has become aware of media reports suggesting that MTN Ghana is preparing to donate GHS20million for Ghanaian victims of the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The media publications seem to attribute the announcement of this intended GHS20million donation to an interview granted by the highly regarded MTN Board Chairman, Dr Ishmael Yamson.
The Government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer; however, we respectfully decline,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that the Mahama Administration has made adequate provision for ongoing evacuations and reintegration of Ghanaians and is therefore unable to accept this offer.
This position of the Government of Ghana had earlier been directly conveyed to the Board Chair and CEO of MTN when they called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP) on August 14, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana remains fully committed to current humanitarian evacuations and reintegration financial support for every Ghanaian brought back from harm’s way.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures that it will present to the general public a comprehensive account of the total cost of evacuations as soon as the exercise is concluded, in the interest of transparency and accountability.
Government will continue to create the best business ecosystem for all international brands operating in Ghana to succeed, irrespective of which country their businesses originated from.
The welfare of all Ghanaians remains our utmost priority”.
It will be recalled that Dr Ishmael Yamson, an Economist and Board Chairman of MTN Ghana, has disclosed that the company has committed GH¢20 million to support Ghanaians returning from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks.
According to Dr Ishmael Yamson, the intervention is intended to help the returnees rebuild their lives and livelihoods rather than provide only short-term relief.
He disclosed that MTN Ghana initially set aside GH¢10 million to welcome the returnees but doubled the amount after realising that immediate assistance would not be adequate.
Dr Ishmael Yamson disclosed that the GH¢10 million will be combined with the initial allocation to establish a fund to help the returnees restart their lives.
See the post below:
The government should have accepted MTN Ghana’s GH¢20 million offer to assist Ghanaians affected by the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Rejecting the offer was not the right decision. – Patrick Yaw Boamah, Okaikwei Central MP#UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/kKmtuAsRTS
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) August 28, 2026
@ghnow_ The Ablekuma North MCE, Hon. Adamu Musah Kalamu, and MP, Hon. Ewurabena Aubynn, have inspected the newly commissioned Astroturf at Dansoman as part of activities marking the completion of the project. ⚽️ #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – NDCMUSICHQ
@ghnow_ The MP for Ablekuma North, Hon. Ewurabena Aubynn, has officially cut the sod to mark the commissioning of the newly completed Astroturf project at Dansoman. ⚽️ #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
