Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has welcomed parliamentary scrutiny of the Ghc49.7 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa, saying public officials must account for how taxpayers’ money is used.
He said transparency was essential to building public confidence in government, insisting that the evacuation exercise was conducted openly rather than in secrecy.
Speaking on JoyNews on October 17, 2026, Ablakwa said the government kept the public informed during the exercise and invited the media to cover the flights and the distribution of allowances.
“Every flight was covered. We invited the media. It was not done in secrecy. We saw the people,” he said.
He argued that government expenditure should be open to scrutiny because the money involved belonged to the public.
“After all, it’s their resources, it’s their taxes. And we are their employees,” he said.
Ablakwa also said his ministry had responded to requests for information about its budget and expenditure, including requests under the Right to Information framework.
He acknowledged that some officials had concerns about disclosing information from the Foreign Affairs Ministry because of its responsibility for Ghana’s international image and sensitive diplomatic matters.
However, he said the public interest in transparency should take priority.
“I believe that democracy is strengthened and confidence is built when political officeholders are open and transparent,” he said.
The minister said he was not frustrated by parliamentary oversight and believed scrutiny helped ensure public officials remained accountable.
“I’m not one opposed to parliamentary oversight or frustrated by it. I rather welcome it. I’m excited about it. And I think that it’s good practice,” he said.
His comments come as the Minority questions the expenditure involved in evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa. Ablakwa has denied that any money is missing and says signed payment records are available to verify the allowances paid to evacuees.
