JoyNews investigation uncovers discrepancies in GH‵49.72m evacuation

An investigation by JoyNews Research has revealed significant discrepancies in the government’s GH₵49.72 million expenditure for the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. The findings indicate that while the state budgeted for reintegration and transport allowances for all returnees, many evacuees reportedly never received these funds. Isaac Kofi Adjei, Head of Research at JoyNews, detailed these anomalies on Newsfile, pointing to duplicate names in official records and payment vouchers lacking the required signatures or supporting receipts. According to the investigation, the government allocation included a GH₵5,000 reintegration allowance and a GH₵500 transport allowance per person. However, JoyNews Research found that substantial portions of the 1,964 identified evacuees were excluded from these payments despite the total cost reaching nearly GH₵50 million. The data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allegedly contains unsupported expenditure claims, sparking a broader debate over the breakdown of funds, which included approximately GH₵27.18 million spent on flight charters alone. The findings have drawn sharp criticism from Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. He expressed skepticism about the total number of evacuees, stating that the government’s figures "do not add up" and lacked credible evidence. Conversely, Benjamin Quashie, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, defended the logistics of the operation, specifically refuting claims that returnees were forced to sleep in buses and asserting that proper hotel accommodations were provided in Pretoria before departure. Amid the controversy, Kay Cudjoe from the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has urged caution regarding overpricing claims. He noted that while public concern over the GH₵27 million charter cost is understandable, charter price comparisons alone are insufficient to prove overpricing without a full understanding of the specific emergency arrangements. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs faces increasing pressure for transparency, further parliamentary scrutiny is expected to address the lack of accountability and the data discrepancies identified in the evacuation programme.