The Minority in Parliament has called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide a detailed, itemised account of the GH¢49.7 million reportedly spent on the evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians from South Africa.
Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said the disclosure of the total expenditure must be accompanied by a comprehensive breakdown to enable Parliament and the Ghanaian public to ascertain how the funds were utilised.
According to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the government spent GH¢49,721,786 to evacuate 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa following security concerns and xenophobic attacks affecting Ghanaian nationals.
The Minister indicated that GH¢38,835,512 of the amount was spent on chartered flights, air tickets, ground transportation, feeding, hotel accommodation, medical care and hospitalisation in South Africa.
However, Mr. Jinapor stressed that while the Minority had supported the government’s decision to evacuate Ghanaian citizens from South Africa, that support should not be interpreted as a waiver of the need for transparency and accountability.
“From the onset, we affirmed our support for the government in its decision to evacuate citizens in South Africa,” he said.
He maintained that transparency and value for money were essential, particularly considering the substantial amount of public funds involved.
“Transparency is absolutely important. Value for money is important,” Mr. Jinapor stated.
He further observed that the figures released by the Ministry suggested an expenditure of approximately GH¢25,000 per evacuee, based on the total amount and the number of people evacuated.
“If you take the figures the Ministry has put out, they are suggesting that they spent close to GH¢50 million to evacuate about 2,000 Ghanaians. If you do the arithmetic, it means the government spent GH¢25,000 per evacuee,” he said.
The Damongo MP argued that the calculation made it even more necessary for the Ministry to publish a detailed account of the expenditure.
He said an itemised bill would serve the interests of transparency, good governance and the national interest by providing clarity on how the funds were spent.
Mr. Jinapor disclosed that the Minority had already taken formal steps to obtain the expenditure details, including invoking the Right to Information Act and filing questions in Parliament.
“We, the Minority, as far back as a month and a half ago, acted pursuant to the provisions of the Right to Information Act and requested for the details of this expenditure, including an itemised bill. We have even filed questions in Parliament,” he disclosed.
According to him, the demand for an itemised bill was therefore not a new development but part of the Minority’s ongoing efforts to ensure accountability surrounding the evacuation exercise.
He said providing the details would also be in the Ministry’s own interest and would strengthen public confidence in the management of public resources.
The Minority’s demand comes amid growing public interest in the cost of the evacuation, which followed security concerns and xenophobic attacks affecting Ghanaian nationals in South Africa.
Mr. Jinapor reiterated that the Minority recognised the government’s responsibility to protect Ghanaians abroad and therefore supported the evacuation decision. However, he maintained that the responsibility to protect citizens must go hand in hand with accountability and prudent use of public funds.
The Minority believes that the release of an itemised bill will enable Parliament and the public to obtain a clearer picture of how the GH¢49.7 million was utilised.
Source: Padfm.com.gh/Kumatey Gorden/0243531604
