Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has again criticised the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa, stressing that Ghana remains welcoming to foreign nationals.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Mr Ablakwa disclosed that more than 11,000 South Africans visited Ghana as tourists in 2025, demonstrating that travel between the two countries is mutually beneficial.

According to him, the significant number of South African visitors highlights Ghana's attractiveness as a tourist destination and reflects the strong people-to-people ties between the two nations.

"In 2025, South Africans who travel from South Africa to Ghana, they speak as though they don't come to Ghana, they don't travel. There are 11,981 South Africans who travelled to Ghana just last year."

"This year promises to be even higher. Between 1st January 2026 and 5th June this year, we have 10,282 South Africans who have visited Ghana mostly as tourists," he noted.

Mr Ablakwa said that despite hosting these thousands of South African visitors annually, Ghanaians will not resort to xenophobic attacks against them, unlike the treatment some foreign nationals have faced in South Africa.

"We will continue to demonstrate that we are the true Pan-Africans, we believe in African integration, we will not take it on any African nationals, we are not going to be retaliatory, we will welcome them, they should keep coming," he said.

"We will welcome them, we are happy that the numbers are going up even as they target Ghanaians and other Africans," he said.

He made the remarks during a discussion with host Samson Lardy Anyenini on the recent wave of xenophobic incidents targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.

The Foreign Affairs Minister reiterated Ghana's commitment to African unity and called for greater tolerance and protection for migrants across the continent.