Politics of 2026-10-18
NPP gives Ablakwa 7 days to account for GH¢49m evacuation funds
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has given Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa seven days to provide documents accounting for the reported GH¢49 million spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians fleeing xenophobic violence in South Africa.
The party says documents provided by the ministry do not reconcile with expenditure figures presented by the minister.
Addressing the media on Sunday, October 18, 2026, the NPP National Communication Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, demanded a full set of financial and operational records on the evacuation exercise.
These include invoices for chartered flights, receipts, payment vouchers, distribution records and a list of evacuees with proof of payments made to each beneficiary.
The NPP alleges that some evacuees cannot be traced in the available records, raising questions about whether the reported expenditure can be fully accounted for.
It insists that the minister must provide documentary evidence for every transaction rather than rely on media appearances, presentations and verbal assurances.
The party also questioned Mr Ablakwa’s claim that all relevant documents are available, arguing that the records should have been included in the ministry’s response to a Right to Information (RTI) request.
It has called for the documents to be submitted to the RTI Commission and Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee for independent examination.
The NPP says its demand is intended to establish whether the funds were properly spent and whether all beneficiaries and payments can be verified.
It acknowledges the need to protect Ghanaians affected by xenophobic violence but insists that the humanitarian nature of the evacuation does not exempt the government from accounting for public funds.
