Ghana's opposition party, the Minority Caucus, has called for the resignation of Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged financial irregularities in the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. The evacuation exercise reportedly cost GH¢49,721,786. The Minority Caucus cited discrepancies between the minister's claims and payment registers, including duplicated entries, gaps in supporting records, and expenditure requiring further explanation.
According to the Minority Caucus, an examination of documents obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed grave financial irregularities, compelling indications of the misapplication of public funds, and possible fraud. Media investigations uncovered cases of evacuees who did not receive their allowances, duplicate entries, payments recorded without signatures, and expenditure for which supporting receipts were unavailable.
The Minority Caucus, led by Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the minister to resign immediately, citing Article 81(a) of the 1992 Constitution. If the minister fails to resign, the caucus has asked President Mahama to terminate his appointment. The caucus also called for a comprehensive independent audit of the evacuation exercise by an internationally reputable accounting firm.
The Minority Caucus argued that Minister Ablakwa's handling of the exercise had brought his office into disrepute, citing Section 2.1(j) of President John Dramani Mahama's 2025 Code of Conduct and Ethics for Political Appointees. This section requires resignation where a minister's actions or leadership result in significant failure, corruption, or a breach of public trust.
If Minister Ablakwa remains in office, the Minority Caucus threatened to initiate parliamentary proceedings for a vote of censure against him under Article 82 of the Constitution and Order 138 of Parliament's Standing Orders. The caucus denied allegations that it had paid or persuaded some evacuees to speak against the government, insisting that it had neither engaged nor paid any of them to do so.
The Minority Caucus cited media reports that the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria had warned evacuees against speaking to the media, questioning the need for such a warning if the authorities had nothing to hide. Some evacuees had spoken voluntarily after learning of differences between what they believed they were entitled to receive and what they actually received.
The opposition party's call for the minister's resignation has added pressure on the government to take action. The President's response to the allegations and the opposition's demands remains to be seen. The incident has raised concerns about the management of public funds and the accountability of government officials in Ghana.
Key points
- The Minority Caucus has called for the resignation of Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged financial irregularities in the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
- The evacuation exercise reportedly cost GH¢49,721,786, with discrepancies found in the payment registers and expenditure.
- The opposition party has threatened to initiate parliamentary proceedings for a vote of censure against the minister if he remains in office.
