Omanghana
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has defended the government’s decision to give children and babies evacuated from South Africa the same GH¢5,500 financial assistance provided to adult returnees.
Speaking on October 17, 2026, Ablakwa said President John Dramani Mahama expressly directed that the support cover every evacuee, regardless of age. He explained that children also needed assistance as their families returned home and began rebuilding their lives.
Each beneficiary received a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and an additional GH¢500 to cover transportation, bringing the individual package to GH¢5,500.
The minister’s explanation followed questions from the New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament over expenditure on the evacuation exercise. The caucus identified 442 minors among the 1,708 people listed on the airport reintegration register and questioned the allocation of equal payments to children and adults.
The Minority also raised concerns about possible duplicate entries in the records, calling aspects of the expenditure into question.
According to the figures presented, the evacuation operation cost GH¢49,721,786 and brought home 1,964 Ghanaian citizens fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa between May and September 2026. The expenditure covered chartered flights, food, accommodation and medical care, alongside assistance for returnees.
Ablakwa rejected the allegations of irregularities as baseless and maintained that the payments reflected a deliberate government decision to support all evacuees. He challenged the opposition to identify a single returnee who had not received the designated assistance.
Source: Omanghana
