The NPP Minority in Parliament has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to resign over the brouhaha surrounding the Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa.
According to the Minority, allegations that some Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa received less than the GH¢5,500 support package announced by the government warrant Ablakwa’s dismissal.
The Minority urged President Mahama to sack the Foreign Affairs Minister if he fails to resign.
Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, speaking at a press conference at Parliament on Tuesday, October 27, made this demand.
He further called for a comprehensive independent audit of the evacuation exercise by an internationally reputable accounting firm to establish the facts surrounding the alleged payment shortfalls.
Samuel Abdulai Jinapor stated, “Given the gravity of these revelations and in order to ensure an impartial investigation into the matter, we call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to resign immediately. His handling of this exercise has brought his high office into disrepute”.
According to the NPP Minority, Ablakwa must accept responsibility, citing Section 2.1(j) of President Mahama’s 2025 Code of Conduct and Ethics for Political Appointees, which he said requires resignation where a Minister’s actions or leadership result in significant failure, corruption or a breach of public trust.
Mr Jinapor further called on President Mahama to terminate Mr Ablakwa’s appointment if he refuses to resign, saying, “The President must demonstrate that the standards he has set for his appointees have consequences when public confidence in their stewardship has been seriously undermined”.
The NPP demand follows reports that at least three people contacted from the evacuation list claimed they received GH¢2,000 instead of the GH¢5,500 announced by the government.
Meanwhile, 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.
Watch the video below:
@ghnow_ The Minority in Parliament has called for Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s resignation over corruption allegations linked to the South Africa evacuation exercise. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The Minority is demanding Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s resignation, arguing that his continued stay in office could allow him to conceal evidence in the South Africa evacuation allegations. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The Minority alleges that Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria warned evacuees against speaking to the media #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
