Bosome Freho MP demands full disclosure of costs in South Africa evacuation exercise
The Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has filed a Right to Information (RTI) request asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to disclose the total cost of evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa following the recent xenophobic attacks.
In a letter dated August 17, 2026, the MP, who is also Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, cited Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution and the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) in making the request.
He referenced a statement issued on August 13, 2026, in which the Ministry said the exercise was fully funded by government and “Ghanaian partners,” without seeking financial or material support from South Africa.
The statement said more than 1,600 Ghanaians had been evacuated since May 2026, with the exercise ongoing, and that returnees received reintegration funds, transport fares and other relief items on arrival.
According to the MP, though statement confirmed that government resources had been committed, it did not disclose the total amount spent, the breakdown of expenditure, the source of the funds, or the identities of the private “Ghanaian partners” involved. He said this left Parliament and the public with no basis to assess the cost of the exercise.
He is requesting for the total cost of the evacuation in cedis and dollars, broken down by category, including air charter and commercial tickets, ground transport, accommodation, consular documentation, staff costs, reintegration payments and relief items, along with supporting invoices, vouchers, receipts, contracts and approvals.
He is also asking for the sources of funding, including whether money was drawn from the Consolidated Fund, the Contingency Fund, the Ministry’s 2026 budget, any supplementary appropriation, funds held by the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria, or private contributions, along with copies of Finance Ministry authorisations.
Read the full request below
