Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije defends GH 49.7m South Africa evacuation bill

The Majority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has dismissed allegations of financial irregularities regarding the GH 49,721,786 spent to evacuate 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. Committee Chairman Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije addressed the media on October 13, 2026, asserting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has provided comprehensive documentation to account for every cedi spent. He described the operation, which responded to xenophobic attacks, as a success under the leadership of President John Mahama and noted that no complaints had been received from evacuees regarding their allowances.

The defense comes in response to claims from the Minority Caucus and NPP representatives regarding a GH 16.4 million discrepancy in the expenditure. Minority Ranking Member Samuel Abu Jinapor and NPP advisor Akosua Manu have raised concerns over payment registers and flight records, alleging that only 824 evacuees could be reconciled with reported payments. They have called for a forensic examination of the records, citing potential gaps in documentation and the suspected presence of "ghost names" on the list of beneficiaries who received reintegration grants.

The dispute has also sparked a row over parliamentary oversight and personal conduct. The Majority Caucus accused NPP Second Vice-Chairman Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B) and MP Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh of launching a "personal vendetta" against Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. They alleged the attacks began after the Minister refused a request for Nana B to retain a service passport he was no longer entitled to hold. While the Minority dismissed these passport claims as diversionary tactics intended to shield the government from scrutiny, the Majority maintained that the Minister was strictly following presidential directives regarding diplomatic and service passports.

To ensure full transparency, Chairman Vanderpuije announced that the Majority welcomes an independent audit of all evacuation exercises conducted since 2017. This proposed audit would encompass the current repatriation efforts as well as GH 44.46 million spent on COVID-19 quarantine measures under the previous administration. The Majority Caucus emphasized that their commitment to accountability is absolute and challenged the Minority to move beyond "politically contrived" allegations to support a consistent standard of financial oversight across different administrations.