The Government of Ghana has dismissed reports suggesting that it owes South Africa money for the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals amid recent xenophobic attacks, insisting that the exercise was funded entirely by Ghana.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Thursday, said:
“Ghana did not request any financial or material assistance from the South African government to evacuate its citizens and will therefore not be required to reimburse South Africa for the exercise.”
The clarification follows reports that South Africa is seeking reimbursement from some African countries for costs incurred in repatriating foreign nationals.
South Africa has reportedly spent close to US$18 million on the transportation, accommodation and other logistics involved in the repatriation of foreign nationals.
However, the reported reimbursement requests are understood to concern countries including Malawi, Ethiopia and Nigeria, rather than Ghana.
More than 1,600 Ghanaians have been evacuated from South Africa since May 2026, with the exercise still ongoing.
The government says the evacuation was undertaken as part of measures to protect Ghanaians whose safety had been placed at risk by the deteriorating security situation.
Ghanaian authorities have also been providing support to citizens upon their return, including reintegration assistance, transport fares and essential relief items.
The first batch of evacuees arrived in Ghana in May following the government’s decision to facilitate the return of vulnerable nationals.
The government has reaffirmed that it will continue to take necessary measures to protect Ghanaians abroad when their lives or security are at risk.
With evacuations continuing, the government says its priority remains the safe return and reintegration of affected Ghanaians.
The Ministry has meanwhile expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama, relevant state institutions and local partners for their support in ensuring the evacuation programme was carried out independently.
