Keypoints:
- Ghana rejects MTN’s $1.79m offer
- Government says evacuation funds are sufficient
- Full evacuation costs will be disclosed
GHANA has rejected a GH¢20m support package — about $1.79m at Wednesday’s mid-market exchange rate — from MTN Ghana for citizens returning from South Africa after xenophobic attacks, saying enough money has already been secured for evacuation and reintegration.
The decision adds a significant new dimension to Ghana’s response to anti-migrant violence in South Africa. Accra says adequate resources are already available, signalling that the government intends to retain financial responsibility for bringing affected citizens home and supporting their reintegration.
Government says funds are sufficient
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decision on Wednesday, August 26, saying it appreciated MTN Ghana’s proposed intervention but would not accept the money.
‘The Government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer, however, we respectfully decline,’ the ministry said.
It said President John Mahama’s administration and Ghanaian partners had already made adequate financial provision for the continuing evacuation and reintegration programme.
The government has previously stressed that Ghana funded its South Africa evacuation independently and did not seek financial or material assistance from Pretoria.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said the decision had already been communicated directly to MTN Ghana Board Chairman Dr Ishmael Yamson and the company’s chief executive during a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on August 14.
MTN planned longer-term support
MTN Ghana had intended the GH¢20m package to go beyond immediate humanitarian assistance.
Yamson said the company initially earmarked GH¢10m before doubling the amount after concluding that returning citizens would need longer-term support to rebuild their livelihoods.
The proposal came as Ghana continued evacuating nationals from South Africa amid a wave of anti-immigrant violence and growing concern over their safety.
MTN Ghana has condemned the attacks and sought to distance its operations in Ghana from the violence in South Africa. Yamson said the company had ‘nothing to do with’ the attacks and regretted that MTN had not moved faster to announce support for affected Ghanaians.
Xenophobia strains bilateral ties
The dispute comes against a tense diplomatic backdrop.
Ghana has repeatedly raised concerns about attacks on its nationals and has pressed the African Union to confront recurring xenophobic violence in South Africa.
More than 178,000 African immigrants have left South Africa in recent months amid tougher immigration enforcement and sometimes violent anti-immigrant protests, according to an AP tally based on figures from governments receiving returnees.
Most departures were assisted or voluntary returns, while about 19,000 people were deported.
Ghana has also suffered direct consequences, with two nationals reported killed in separate incidents linked to the unrest, although Accra and Pretoria have disputed the circumstances surrounding at least one of the deaths.
Evacuation bill faces scrutiny
The government’s refusal of MTN’s money is likely to sharpen scrutiny of how much Ghana is spending on the evacuation programme.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has promised to publish a comprehensive account of the total cost once the exercise is completed, saying the disclosure will be made in the interest of transparency and accountability.
Accra also stressed that rejecting MTN’s offer should not be interpreted as hostility towards the company or foreign investors, saying Ghana would continue to provide a favourable business environment for international companies regardless of their country of origin.
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