News:
October 13, 2026
A request by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for the Auditor General to audit all evacuation exercises conducted by his ministry since 2017 has been rejected by the Minority in Parliament, creating a fresh standoff over the handling of public funds.
The development follows a series of exchanges between the Minority and the Ministry over the cost of evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa.
According to parliamentary sources, the Minority had written to the Minister demanding a detailed account of money spent on the evacuation exercise, including hotel accommodation, flight tickets, food, and other related expenses.
In a swift response, Hon. Ablakwa directed his ministry to compile a comprehensive report on the expenditure. The directive, which gave officials just 24 hours to comply, resulted in the production of a bulky 200-page document detailing the costs associated with the evacuation exercise. The document has since been presented to the Minority caucus.
However, in a move that surprised many, the Minister took the matter a step further by officially writing to the Auditor General to request a full audit of all evacuation exercises undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to date, insisting that Ghanaians deserve to know how public funds have been spent.
“The Minister believes that transparency and accountability should not be selective,” a source close to the ministry said. “He wants the Auditor General to scrutinize every evacuation exercise, not just the recent one, so that the public can have a complete picture.”
The twist, however, came when the Minority rejected the proposal for the Auditor General to conduct an audit covering the ministry’s evacuation exercises from 2017 to date.
Minority sources argued that while they support accountability, the scope of the proposed audit was “too broad and could be used to delay the specific answers they are seeking” regarding the South Africa evacuation. They maintained that the 200-page document submitted by the ministry should be sufficient for now, and that any audit should be limited to the specific exercise in question.
The rejection has sparked debate about the true intentions of both sides, with political analysts suggesting the move could escalate tensions between the Minority and the Ministry.
“The Minority asked for accountability, and the Minister gave them a 200-page report within 24 hours. Now the Minister wants a comprehensive audit, but the Minority is rejecting it. It raises questions about what exactly each side wants,” said Dr. Nana Kwaku Danso, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued an official statement on the Minority’s rejection of the audit request. It remains unclear whether the Minister will proceed with the audit despite the Minority’s opposition, or whether the standoff will be resolved through further negotiations.
For now, Ghanaians await clarity on how public funds were used in evacuation exercises over the past seven years, as the political back-and-forth continues.
Ghanamps.com