Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has defended the government’s decision to evacuate Ghanaians from South Africa, saying criticism from some returnees will not change its focus on protecting citizens facing threats abroad.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with Ghanaians in New York, Mr. Ablakwa responded to complaints from some evacuees who say conditions after their return, particularly the lack of promised employment opportunities, have left them disappointed.
The Minister said the evacuation was undertaken in response to security concerns, including xenophobic attacks, and maintained that the safety and welfare of Ghanaian nationals had to take precedence.
“I’ve had comments and seen some media reports of one or two people who have said they have been evacuated back home, and they are beginning to regret it. If that is the thank you we get, no problem, but we are not deterred.”
“We are going to continue to prioritise the welfare of Ghanaians. When people are recovered from harm’s way, from conflict, from crisis, from xenophobic attacks, and they are back home safely to peaceful and democratic Ghana, they can begin to make all statements, grant media interviews, and all of that,” he said.
His comments followed concerns raised by Kofi Baah, one of the returnees, who said he regretted coming back to Ghana because employment opportunities he said were promised to evacuees had not materialised.
Speaking on Max TV on September 24, Mr Baah said he had received GH¢5,000 in government support but that the amount had not been sufficient to cater for his family of four children. He said part of the money was used to secure accommodation after his return.
Mr Baah also said the prospect of securing employment was a major consideration for many of those who agreed to return to Ghana.
According to him, four months after returning, he was still without a job despite submitting his curriculum vitae as requested.
He claimed that follow-ups with the relevant authorities had only yielded assurances that his details had been forwarded to companies, with no employment opportunity secured so far.
The government has previously said the 2026 evacuation brought 1,964 Ghanaians home between May 27 and September 4 at a total cost of GH¢49.72 million.
Each returnee received a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and GH¢500 transport allowance, while the government said evacuees were also enrolled in a database to facilitate access to employment, entrepreneurship and skills-development opportunities.
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