JoyNews Research revealed that of the 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa, a number did not receive the promised GH¢5,000 reintegration allowance or GH¢500 transport allowance, despite the government spending nearly GH¢50 million on the operation.
Head of Research Isaac Kofi Adjei presented the findings on JoyNews Newsfile on Saturday, October 24, after the team conducted an independent audit of the evacuation data supplied by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Adjei said the team’s review exposed duplicate names in the evacuee list, payments made without required signatures and several expenditure items for which no receipts were provided. The audit also flagged dates of birth that appeared to be in the future or otherwise impossible.
"After our independent analysis, we built a system to actually test this data. We manually also checked all the numbers that we had received and we came out with at least five conclusions that the data that we had did not support so many claims that were made by the Foreign Affairs Minister," Adjei explained.
The research team cross‑checked the list of evacuees that the Minister had shared and found inconsistencies. Some evacuees received payments but lacked signatures, while others did not receive any reintegration or transport allowance at all.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ghana’s mission in Pretoria later provided clarification on the disputed records. JoyNews Research also examined data collected directly by the ministry during the evacuation, confirming the initial findings.
Adjei added that the team had reviewed the ministry’s original data and noted the absence of receipts for accommodation and transportation expenses incurred in South Africa.
"We also have transport expenses in South Africa; we didn't have receipts for that and other expenses," he said. He noted that the findings would be aired on Joy News on Monday.
The investigation highlights potential mismanagement in the evacuation process and raises questions about the oversight of public funds used for citizen repatriation.
