Foreign Affairs Ministry Requests Auditor-General To Audit Evacuation Spending Since 2017

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested the Auditor-General to carry out a special audit into all government-funded emergency evacuation exercises undertaken since 2017.

The request, contained in a letter to the Auditor-General, seeks an independent review of the financial and administrative arrangements surrounding evacuations organised for Ghanaians abroad who faced emergency situations.

The audit is expected to cover at least four major evacuation operations - the COVID-19 evacuations in 2020, Ukraine in 2022, Sudan in 2023, and the recent evacuation from South Africa in 2026.

The Ministry has also asked the Auditor-General to include any other evacuation exercise deemed relevant to the review.

According to the letter, the audit is aimed at providing an independent assessment of how public funds were utilised during the exercises, taking into consideration the exceptional and emergency circumstances under which they were carried out.

"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 Ministry said.

The review is also expected to identify key lessons to improve the Ministry's preparedness and internal controls for future emergencies.

The request comes at a time when the Ministry is facing scrutiny from the Minority in Parliament over expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.

Government has put the total cost of that operation at GH¢49.72 million, covering evacuation and related support for affected citizens.

The Ministry has already responded to a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, with a report of over 200 pages detailing the South Africa operation.

The special audit, however, goes beyond the South Africa evacuation and will examine all government-funded evacuation exercises dating back to 2017.

The Ministry has assured the Auditor-General of its full cooperation and pledged to make available all relevant financial and administrative records to facilitate the exercise, saying the review is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability and good governance while improving government's ability to respond to future emergencies involving Ghanaians abroad.