{
  "id": 14627866,
  "title": "Majority defends GH¢49.7m South Africa evacuation cost",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/majority-defends-gh-49-7m-south-africa-evacuation-cost",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T06:08:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghanaian Times",
    "slug": "ghanaian-times",
    "url": "https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/majority-defends-gh%c2%a249-7m-south-africa-evacuation-cost/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Majority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee has refuted claims by the Minority Caucus regarding the expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa. The Minority Caucus asserted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ records revealed over GH¢16.4 million unaccounted for from the reported GH¢49.7 million spent by the government on the evacuation operation. However, the Committee’s Chairman, Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, refuted these assertions in a press conference at Parliament, stating that the total expenditure remained precisely GH¢49.7 million. He emphasized that the Committee possessed comprehensive financial documentation, including receipts and supporting records for various aspects of the evacuation, such as chartered flights, commercial airline tickets, transportation, feeding, accommodation, and other logistical arrangements handled by Ghana’s High Commission in South Africa. Mr Vanderpuije highlighted that the Committee had meticulously reviewed the report submitted by the Ministry, describing it as a thorough and reliable account of the evacuation exercise. He challenged the Minority Caucus to explain the expenditures from previous administrations, including those carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and the evacuations related to the Russia-Ukraine war. He disclosed that he had received a letter dated 17th September, 2026, from the Auditor-General inviting an independent audit of evacuation exercises since 2017, including those for South Africa in 2026, and requested that the Minister of Foreign Affairs brief the Committee on these exercises. The Minority Caucus boycotted the briefing. Mrs Ibrahimah Mohammed Zuwera, representing Salaga South and a Majority Caucus member, disclosed that detailed records examined by the Committee confirmed the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians, along with the identities of the evacuees, including minors, and their signatures. She noted that the documents contained information about each individual, which would be disclosed to the press. She also pointed out discrepancies in the amounts cited by the Minority Caucus, questioning the accuracy of their figures.",
  "summary": "THE Majority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee has disputed claims by the Minority Caucus regarding the amount spent on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa. The Minority Caucus, at a press conference on Sunday, said records provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs left more than GH¢16.4 million unaccounted for, … The post Majority defends…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
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        "published": "2026-10-15T04:30:00.000Z"
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      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
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        "published": "2026-10-15T06:46:52.000Z"
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    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}