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The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament for the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has invoked the Right to Information Act to demand full details of government spending on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.

The Bosome-Freho MP wants the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to disclose how much has been spent on the exercise since May 2026 and identify the companies and service providers contracted to facilitate the evacuations.

The request follows a statement issued by the Ministry on August 13, 2026, announcing that Ghana had fully funded the evacuation of its nationals following recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Ministry said more than 1,600 Ghanaians had been evacuated home since May 2026 and that the exercise was continuing.

It also stated that evacuees were being provided with reintegration funds, transport fares and other relief items upon arrival in Ghana.

However, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh says the statement did not disclose the total cost of the exercise, how the expenditure was structured, the source of funding or the identity of the private entities described as Ghanaian partners.

He is therefore demanding a detailed breakdown of expenditure, including costs for air charters and commercial tickets, ground transportation, accommodation in South Africa, consular and travel documentation, staff costs, reintegration payments and relief items.

He has also requested supporting records, including invoices, payment vouchers, receipts, contracts, purchase orders, charter agreements and expenditure approvals.

The MP wants the Ministry to disclose whether the money was drawn from the Consolidated Fund, Contingency Fund, the Ministry’s approved 2026 budget, a supplementary appropriation or funds held by the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria.

He is also seeking details of any private contributions to the exercise.

The request asks for the names of all persons, companies, institutions or other entities described by the Ministry as “Ghanaian partners”.

Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh wants the Ministry to state how much each partner contributed, whether the contribution was in cash or in kind, and whether any partner received or is entitled to receive reimbursement or any other consideration from government.

The MP is also demanding a flight-by-flight account of the evacuation exercise.

He wants the number of Ghanaians evacuated, the date of each flight or rotation, the airline or service provider involved, whether each flight was chartered or commercial, the number of evacuees carried and the cost of each flight.

He is further asking the Ministry to disclose the procurement method used for each service arrangement.

This includes whether contracts were awarded through competitive tendering, restricted tendering, single-source procurement or an emergency procurement procedure.

The MP has also requested details of the reintegration package for evacuees.

He wants the approved amount payable to each eligible evacuee, the amount actually paid, the eligibility criteria, the approving authority and the total number of beneficiaries.

He is also seeking a list of relief items supplied, including their quantities, unit costs and total expenditure.

Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the request was made in the public interest, arguing that since the Ministry had placed the government’s funding of the evacuation on the public record, the supporting figures should also be available to citizens.

He has requested that the information be provided electronically and that the Ministry determine the application within the statutory period prescribed under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989).

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.