Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has rejected claims that some Ghanaians who were evacuated from South Africa got less than the GH¢5,500 support package that the government said they would receive. He says his ministry hasn’t gotten any complaints about people not getting the full amount.
He explained that all 1,000 Ghanaians on the evacuation list, including kids, got the complete amount. This included GH¢5,000 for help getting back on their feet and GH¢500 for travel costs.
While speaking to the Ghanaian community in Ottawa, Canada, during a work visit, Mr Ablakwa questioned whether these claims were real. He pointed out that the money was given out in front of everyone and that nobody who got the money said they received less than what was promised.
His response comes after reports showed that at least three people from the evacuation list said they only got GH¢2,000 instead of the GH¢5,500 the government announced.
The minister said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hasn’t received any complaints since the evacuation started over four months ago. He also mentioned that nobody brought up any problems at the airport about missing envelopes or payments that were smaller than they should have been.
“For more than four months since the evacuation commenced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received a single complaint. We didn’t receive a complaint at the airport that an envelope has not been received or an amount is not up to the figure. Up until this day, there has been no complaint by any of the Ghanaians evacuated,” he said.
Ablakwa said this package was totally new for Ghana’s evacuation efforts, pointing out that earlier operations didn’t have the same kind of help for getting people back home and money for travel.
Even though people were criticizing him, Ablakwa promised he would keep helping Ghanaians who needed assistance while living outside the country.
“But I give you one assurance that despite all the vilification, I remain fully committed to the welfare, the protection of the dignity
and the rights of Ghanaians. I am not discouraged at all,” he added.
In the meantime, the Minority group has asked for an independent audit to check how the government spent the GH¢49.72 million.