The Minority in Parliament is demanding clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the handling of reintegration grants for 442 minors listed in documents relating to Ghana’s evacuation exercise in South Africa.
The Bosome Freho MP and Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, raised the concerns on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem.
Mr. Ayeh questioned whether the children received the same GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and GH¢500 transportation allowance reportedly allocated to adult returnees.
According to Mr Ayeh, the Minority’s review of documents obtained from the Foreign Affairs Minister through a Right to Information (RTI) request identified 442 minors among 1,508 persons captured in the records.
He said some of the children were listed as having been born in 2025 and 2026, raising questions about how the payments were processed and accounted for.
“Of the 1,508 persons, we counted 442 minors. Some of them were born on 2nd February, 2026. Some of them were born on 2025, 2026, 2022, and 2023.
“We could count 442 minors. Now, the minister’s response nowhere stated where these 442 children were paid the same 5,000 reintegration grant and 500 transportation package allowance as the adults too were paid,” he said.
The MP said the Minority wants the Ministry to establish whether the money was paid directly to the children or through their parents or guardians.
“Whether the sum was paid to them directly or to their parent or to their guidance on their behalf, or what safeguarding arrangement, if any, attended the handling of cash payment involving children. This is not a trivial oversight,” Mr Ayeh stated.
He also called for information on the guarantors associated with the beneficiaries and whether they received any portion of the GH¢5,000 reintegration package.
The Minority is further raising concerns about alleged duplicate entries in the payment records, including claims that some individuals appeared more than once in the register.
Mr Ayeh stressed that the concerns were not an allegation of criminal wrongdoing but a call for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
The Minority is seeking an independent audit of the expenditure to reconcile the reported figures with the supporting documentation. It wants the audit’s findings and terms of reference made public.
The group says the review should clarify how payments involving minors were handled, establish whether the listed beneficiaries received the intended support and address discrepancies identified in the records.
The Ministry’s response to the specific concerns raised by the Minority was not included in the information provided.
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