Something isn't adding up in the numbers behind Ghana's evacuation of citizens from South Africa, at least according to the Minority in Parliament, which is now pushing for an independent audit of the entire GH¢49.72 million operation.
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, laid out the discrepancies at a press conference on Sunday.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry's own records, released following a Right to Information request, say all 1,964 evacuees received a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant plus a GH¢500 transport allowance. But when the Minority cross-checked the registers, only 824 names showed up on both lists.
The flight records don't fare much better. Chartered flights accounted for 926 people, commercial flights covered another 247, bringing the total to 1,173, well short of the 1,964 figure the Ministry has cited.
"The records provided do not adequately account for the remaining 791 people," Ayeh said, pointing to what he called duplicated entries scattered across the reintegration, transport and flight documentation.
Questions Over Child Beneficiaries
One detail stood out. The reintegration payment register lists 442 minors, and Ayeh wants to know exactly how that money moved, whether it went straight to the children or through parents and guardians. It's the kind of detail that's easy to overlook until someone asks.
Ayeh gave credit where it's due, acknowledging that Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa's RTI response did put new information on record. But he argued it stopped short of resolving the reconciliation issues, unsigned entries, and missing documentation around logistics and flight costs.
The Minority wants firms like Deloitte Ghana, KPMG, PwC or Ernst & Young Ghana to handle the audit, insisting the findings be made public once complete.
"Only a thorough independent and transparent audit with findings made public can restore the confidence of the Ghanaian people in the public management of their funds," Ayeh said, framing the demand as central to accountability rather than political point scoring.
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