Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Foreign Affairs Minister, has reacted to claims some Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa received less than the GH¢5,500 support package announced by the government.
According to Ablakwa, for more than four months since the exercise began, the Foreign Affairs Ministry did not receive any complaints from evacuated Ghanaians about not receiving the full amount, comprising GH¢5,000 in reintegration support and GH¢500 for transportation.
He argued that all 1,964 evacuees, including minors, received the GH¢5,000 reintegration package and GH¢500 transportation allowance, quizzing why allegations of underpayment were emerging through the media months after the beneficiaries received their money at the airport.
Ablakwa disclosed that evacuees had been informed before leaving South Africa that each person would receive GH¢5,500, noting that the same information was repeated upon their arrival in Ghana.
He explained that beneficiaries received two envelopes at the airport and were encouraged to open them and verify the amounts, revealing that Journalists and bloggers were present, with some recording evacuees counting their money.
Speaking to the Ghanaian community in Ottawa, Canada, during an official working visit, Ablakwa questioned the claims saying, “These stories do not add up. And they are calculated at probably discouraging us from always stepping in and rescuing Ghanaians from harm’s way”
“For more than four months since the evacuation commenced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received a single complaint. We didn’t receive a complaint at the airport that an envelope has not been received or that an amount is not up to the figure. Up until this day, there has been no complaint by any of the Ghanaians evacuated,” he said.
He further disclosed that despite the criticism directed at him, he will continue supporting Ghanaians in distress abroad.
“But I give you one assurance that despite all the vilification, I remain fully committed to the welfare, the protection of the dignity
and the rights of Ghanaians. I am not discouraged at all,” he added.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was responding to a JoyNews report that claimed that at least three people contacted from the evacuation list claimed they received GH¢2,000 instead of the announced total allowance of GH¢5,500.
Meanwhile, JOYNEWS are set to release their explosive report on the South African evacuation exercise today, October 26, at 6:00 pm.
In a post on X, JOYNEWS wrote, “How did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrive at the GHS49.7 million cost for the South African evacuation exercise?
The JoyNews Research team breaks down the figures, separates fact from fiction, and examines how the total was calculated.
Tune in on Monday, October 26, at 6:00 pm on JoyNews”.
Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have reacted to the yet-to-be-aired JOYNEWS report, saying, “Check the number of people blocking you because of this useless story. Are you serious at all? Let’s be serious. Instead of talking about galamsey, you are wasting our time on this”.
A netizen added, “Your work is not up to standard. What @IsaacKofiAgyei is doing is simply a poor standard of journalism. Any issue with the work should be put to the ministry and solicit their reply before going out. That’s how journalism is done in a fair and balanced society”.
A netizen added, “Data of evacuees was compiled by SA Border Management, indicating the number of people who were leaving SA for Ghana and boarded the plane, before the list was sent to Ghanaian authorities.
If the list has some errors, who is supposed to be blamed? Ghana did not compile the list”.
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