Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, a coordinating Director for Political and Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has explained that some jobs identified for Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa were found to be unsuitable for their skills.
According to him, assessments of the returnees showed that some of the employment opportunities initially identified did not match their competencies.
Ambassador Agyeman cited job opportunities at AirtelTigo and Engineers and Planners among the offers that had been available.
He, however, disclosed that the government’s commitment to help the returnees find suitable livelihoods remains unchanged.
Speaking at the launch of DW’s Under the Baobab in Accra, organised in collaboration with Channel One TV, on the theme “Beyond the Welcome: Migration, Xenophobia and Belonging to Africa, Ambassador Agyeman stated, “Quite a number of the people who came, to be honest, we found that some of the jobs that were on offer weren’t suited. And that is the reality of the assessment that was done for some of them”.
“The commitment that the government made still stands. A commitment was made that they’ll be helped to find jobs that are suited to their experiences and competence,” he stated.
“These are nationals; we feel the same concern that they have. And so we are committed to working with them as urgently as we can to be able to do the completion of those exercises for some,” he added.
Meanwhile, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Foreign Affairs Minister, has broken his silence concerning reports that some Ghanaians who were repatriated from South Africa following the xenophobic attacks regret coming back to Ghana after months without the jobs they were promised.
According to Ablakwa, he has seen media reports and comments from some of the returnees, adding that the Mahama-led government would not look on unconcerned when the welfare and dignity of Ghanaians are at stake.
The Foreign Affairs Minister stressed that although such comments may not be the appreciation the government expected after evacuating the returnees from danger, they would not deter the government from prioritising the welfare of Ghanaians.
Ablakwa argued that once people are rescued from dangerous situations and safely returned home, they are free to express their views even if their comments are critical of the government’s efforts.
He highlighted that the Mahama government is unperturbed by such comments.
Speaking to the Ghanaian community in the Tri-State Area during a town hall meeting on September 25, 2026, Ablakwa stated, “I’ve heard comments and seen some media reports of one or two people who have said that they have been evacuated back home and they are beginning to regret it”.
“If that is the thank you we get, no problem, but we are not perturbed. We are going to continue to prioritise the welfare of Ghanaians,” he said.
“So, we shall forgive them, and I know President Mahama remains unperturbed. He is going to continue to prioritise the welfare of Ghanaians everywhere in the world,” he said.
“President Mahama’s administration will not look the other way, will not be unconcerned, will not be derelict when the welfare and the dignity of Ghanaians are at stake. His government will respond promptly and will ensure that you are taken out of harm’s way.
“And we are so proud that we have always, in crisis situations under President Mahama’s administration, been the pacesetters. You check everywhere there’s a crisis situation anywhere in the world, the government of Ghana is the first to evacuate its citizens,” he said.
@ghnow_ Victims of the Avenor fire claim they were arrested and asked to pay GH₵1,500 each to be released. They say they called their MP and Assembly Member for help, but neither has arrived. “Where will we sleep? What will we eat?” they lament. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ A female fire officer captured fighting the Avenor fire outbreak fiercely #GHnow #fyp ♬ sonido original – el copaneco
