A pressure group Advocacy for Citizens Ghana (ACG) has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to conduct an independent investigation into alleged financial irregularities and possible misappropriation of public funds in Ghana’s evacuation exercise following xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The petition, dated November 2, 2026, raises concerns about the management and accounting of the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
The organisation is seeking an independent examination of expenditure records, beneficiary payments, procurement arrangements and other financial transactions associated with the exercise, which was overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of the sector minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
According to the petition, the total expenditure comprised GH¢33.72 million from the Government of Ghana and a GH¢16 million donation from Engineers and Planners, owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama.
ACG said the minister had indicated that each evacuee, including children, was entitled to a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and a GH¢500 transportation allowance, amounting to GH¢10.802 million for the 1,964 beneficiaries.
However, the organisation questioned whether the full amount was actually received by the intended beneficiaries.
It cited findings attributed to the Minority in Parliament, based on documents obtained through the Right to Information process, which reportedly showed that only 824 people could be confirmed as having received both allowances.
The petition also referenced a Joy News investigation which reportedly identified between 1,842 and 1,887 unique individuals who signed for allowances, despite the payment register containing 2,036 entries.
“This raises questions concerning the payment status of the remaining 1,140 evacuees and whether the full amount allocated for the allowances was actually disbursed to the intended beneficiaries,” the organisation stated.
ACG further raised concerns about the GH¢27.18 million reportedly spent on chartered flights and GH¢9.42 million on commercial flight tickets and layover expenses.
It said supporting documentation for the commercial flight expenditure reportedly accounted for 1,173 people, leaving a discrepancy involving 791 evacuees that requires clarification.
The organisation also questioned the GH¢141,797.86 spent on hotel accommodation, particularly following reports that some evacuees slept in churches, buses and parking lots while awaiting evacuation.
On possible duplicate payments, ACG cited a Joy News investigation which reportedly identified nearly 100 names appearing across different evacuation batches, with 45 individuals allegedly appearing twice and signing twice for the GH¢5,000 reintegration grant.
It said the alleged duplication could represent a financial exposure of GH¢225,000 if the entries resulted in actual duplicate payments.
ACG stressed that the issues raised were allegations requiring independent verification and should not be taken as evidence of wrongdoing by any individual.
“The concerns raised in this petition are allegations and matters requiring independent verification. We do not seek to prejudge the outcome of any investigation or presume the criminal liability of any individual,” it said.
The organisation is asking CHRAJ to establish the actual number of Ghanaians evacuated, verify the identities of beneficiaries and examine the payments made under the exercise.
It has also requested that the Commission obtain relevant contracts, invoices, receipts, payment vouchers, bank statements, passenger manifests and beneficiary registers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant institutions.
ACG further wants CHRAJ to determine whether the procurement of chartered flights and other services complied with the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), as amended, and whether the financial administration of the exercise complied with the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
It is also seeking the recovery of any funds found to have been unlawfully disbursed or misappropriated, as well as appropriate legal action where evidence of criminal wrongdoing is established.
The petition asks that the findings and recommendations of any investigation be made available to the public, subject to applicable legal and confidentiality requirements.
