The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a more than 200-page report on the government’s evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.

The report was provided in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh.

Sources familiar with the matter told Citi News that the Ministry submitted the response electronically on Friday, September 18, 2026.

The documents contain records relating to more than 1,900 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa, including contact details and signatures of some of the evacuees.

The evacuation exercise, which began on May 27 and ended on September 4, saw 1,964 Ghanaians brought back to Ghana.

According to figures announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on September 7, the exercise cost the government GH¢49.72 million.

Of the amount, GH¢38.84 million was spent on chartered flights, commercial air tickets, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation and medical services.

Another GH¢10.8 million was used for reintegration and transportation allowances, while GH¢84,274 was spent on repatriating the remains of two Ghanaians.

The government provided GH¢33.72 million of the total cost, with Engineers and Planners contributing GH¢16 million towards the evacuation.

RTI request

The RTI application was submitted while the evacuation exercise was still ongoing.

Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh had requested detailed information on the financial and operational aspects of the exercise, including flight arrangements, procurement, payments, private-sector contributions and support provided to evacuees after their return.

At the time, the Ministry explained that it could not provide a complete account because the exercise had not yet been concluded.

“It should be noted that, at the time the request for information was received, the evacuation exercise was still ongoing as alluded to in the RTI request under reference. Consequently, the Ministry couldn't provide a complete and final account of the exercise at that stage, as associated expenditures and other operational details had not yet been fully completed,” the Ministry stated.

The evacuation was completed on September 4 following the arrival of the final 41 evacuees.

The latest response is expected to give Parliament access to the records underlying the GH¢49.7 million expenditure, including documentation on the various components of the exercise.

Sources close to the Foreign Affairs Committee said copies of the report have also been made available to the Committee’s leadership, including its Chairman.

Special audit

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested a special audit of government evacuation exercises conducted from 2017 to date.

The audit will cover major evacuation operations, including those undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Sudan crisis and the recent South Africa evacuation.

The review is expected to provide further scrutiny of expenditure incurred during the various exercises.