OSP examines alleged irregularities in GH¢49.7m South Africa evacuation expenditure

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is examining allegations of corruption and corruption-related offences arising from the government's expenditure of GH¢49.7 million on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.

In a statement published on Monday, November 9, 2026, the OSP said its examination was focused on alleged discrepancies between the expenditure reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the payment records for the exercise.

The evacuation, which took place between May 27 and September 4, 2026, involved 1,964 Ghanaian nationals who were brought home following xenophobic attacks and threats against foreign nationals in South Africa.

According to the OSP, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported spending GH¢49,721,786 on the exercise, covering chartered flights, commercial tickets, transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical services and reintegration allowances.

The Special Prosecutor's Office said it was examining concerns including duplicate entries, inadequate supporting documents and payments recorded against beneficiaries who claim they did not receive the amounts indicated.

The exercise is intended to establish whether the public funds were properly accounted for and disbursed, identify the actual recipients of the payments and determine whether any public officer or private individual improperly benefited.

The OSP stressed that its examination concerned the management of public funds and not the government's decision to evacuate Ghanaians as a humanitarian intervention.

It added that further information would be disclosed where appropriate, while reminding the public that all persons concerned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.