Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has refuted allegations that certain Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa obtained less than the GH¢5,500 assistance package declared by the administration, asserting that his ministry has received no formal grievances regarding purported payment discrepancies.
He said all 1,000 Ghanaians on the evacuation roster, including minors, received the full amount: GH¢5,000 in reintegration assistance and GH¢500 for travel expenses.
During remarks to the Ghanaian diaspora in Ottawa, Canada, at an official working engagement, Mr Ablakwa contested the allegations, arguing that the disbursements were executed transparently and that no recipient had reported receiving less than the publicized amount.
His remarks emerge subsequent to reports indicating that at minimum three individuals selected from the evacuation roster asserted they obtained GH¢2,000 rather than the GH¢5,500 declared by the administration.
The minister affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not received any grievances since the evacuation initiative commenced approximately four months prior. He additionally stated that no concerns were communicated at the airport regarding absent envelopes or disbursements that were insufficient relative to the specified amount.
“Throughout the more than four months since the evacuation commenced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received a solitary grievance. We did not receive a grievance at the airport that an envelope was not obtained or an amount fell short of the specified figure.
Until the present moment, there has been no grievance by any of the Ghanaians evacuated,” he articulated.
Ablakwa characterized the package as unparalleled in Ghana’s evacuation undertakings, emphasizing that preceding operations had not incorporated equivalent reintegration assistance and travel allowances.
Notwithstanding the disapproval directed toward him, Ablakwa committed to persisting in his support for Ghanaians experiencing hardship internationally.
“However, I extend to you one guarantee that notwithstanding all the disparagement, I remain thoroughly devoted to the welfare, the safeguarding of the dignity and the rights of Ghanaians. I am not disheartened whatsoever,” he concluded.
The Minority party has subsequently requested an independent examination of the GH¢49.72 million expenditure allocated by the government.
