{
  "id": 15493632,
  "title": "Over half of South Africa evacuation expenditure lacks invoices – NPP",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/over-half-of-south-africa-evacuation-expenditure-lacks-invoices-npp",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T21:09:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/over-half-of-south-africa-evacuation-expenditure-lacks-invoices-npp/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has raised concerns regarding the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, stating that over half of the expenditure lacks supporting invoices. At a press briefing on Sunday, October 18, the Communications Director of the NPP, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, disclosed that GH¢27.18 million was spent on chartered flights, accounting for nearly 55% of the total evacuation costs. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' documents did not provide invoices, contracts, or the names of the flight operators. The NPP questioned the Ministry's response to a Right to Information (RTI) request and its report to Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasizing that the lack of receipts does not justify the spending merely because of emergencies. Aboagye also expressed skepticism about the reported cost of $750,000 per flight, which he alleged was significantly higher than the expected range of $180,000 to $300,000 based on industry checks. He further pointed out that each of the three chartered flights might have been billed at nearly USD 300,000 above its true cost, leading to concerns about possible overbilling. The NPP demanded the publication of the original Ethiopian Airlines invoices to verify the actual expenses and address their concerns about potential overcharging. They suggested that the Minister of Foreign Affairs should provide proof of the flight costs and engage in a transparent conversation with the airline regarding the costs incurred.",
  "summary": "The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says more than half of the money spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa is not supported by invoices in documents released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.",
  "key_points": [
    "Over 55% of South Africa evacuation costs lack invoices",
    "GH¢27.18 million spent on chartered flights, no supporting documents",
    "NPP questions Ministry's response to RTI request and flight cost claims"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
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        "published": "2026-10-18T15:27:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/unemployment-anxiety-drives-viral-petition-who-should-get-a-job-in",
        "published": "2026-10-18T16:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}