The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Auditor‑General to conduct a special audit of all government‑funded emergency evacuation exercises carried out since 2017, including the recent 2026 operation that evacuated Ghanaians from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks.
In a letter to the Auditor‑General, the ministry requested an independent assessment of the financial and administrative arrangements that underpinned the evacuations, covering at least four major exercises: the COVID‑19 evacuation in 2020, the Ukraine evacuation in 2022, the Sudan evacuation in 2023, and the South Africa operation in 2026. The ministry also invited the Auditor‑General to include any other relevant evacuation exercise.
The audit aims to determine how public funds were used during the exercises, taking into account the exceptional and emergency circumstances under which they were conducted. The ministry said it would provide full cooperation and all necessary financial and administrative records to facilitate the review.
According to the letter, the ministry would be grateful for a distinct assessment of each exercise, setting out findings, costs, observations and recommendations, and where appropriate, a summary of common issues and recommended measures across the exercises. The review is also expected to identify lessons that could improve the ministry’s preparedness and internal controls for future emergencies.
The request comes as the ministry faces scrutiny from the Minority over the cost of the South Africa evacuation, which the government has put at GH¢49.72 million. The ministry has already responded to a Right to Information request from Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament Nana Asafo‑Adjei Ayeh with a more than 200‑page report detailing that operation.
By expanding the audit beyond the latest evacuation, the ministry hopes to strengthen transparency, accountability and good governance while improving the government’s ability to respond to future emergencies involving Ghanaians abroad.
