Okaikwei Central MP warns against escalating Ghana–South Africa diplomatic tensions

The Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has called for a diplomatic resolution to recent tensions involving Ghanaian nationals in South Africa, warning against escalating matters that could be handled through established foreign relations channels.

Addressing journalists on June 10, 2026, he stressed that similar situations in the past had been resolved without drastic measures such as evacuations.

He argued that the use of evacuation signals a breakdown or strain in diplomatic engagement, adding that such matters should ordinarily be handled quietly through foreign ministries.

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“This is not the first time we are hearing of such issues. And this is the first time we are undertaking an evacuation exercise,” he said.

“If previously we were able to resolve it without evacuation, it means there are channels that we can use in addressing these matters… that is the work of the Foreign Ministry because their work is mostly unseen,” he noted.

According to him, bringing such issues into the public domain often indicates that the situation has escalated beyond normal diplomatic management.

“To bring it to the fore means that it's gotten to a certain level. And that is not what we expect to see. These are matters that can be resolved diplomatically,” he said.

Boamah cautioned that failure to handle such matters carefully could have broader consequences, particularly for ordinary citizens and businesses.

“If you don't take care, issues about businesses will be used to affect the livelihoods of individuals or innocent citizens,” he warned.

“Here is a case that we are talking about xenophobic matters in South Africa… If you go to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, a lot of Ghanaians, that's where they first settle,teachers, doctors, and what have you. What is going to happen to them?” he asked.

Boamah further urged Ghana and South Africa to prioritise diplomacy in managing the situation, calling for stronger engagement at the highest levels.

“We shouldn't use an issue that can be resolved diplomatically to strain the relationship between Ghana and South Africa,” he stated.

Boamah noted that diplomatic relations between the two countries should be strengthened.

His comments come in the wake of the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals from South Africa due to escalating xenophobic violence and widespread anti-immigrant protests.

JKB/VPO

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