Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has assured that every Ghanaian in South Africa who wishes to return home will be accommodated in the government’s planned evacuation exercise.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, May 22, the Minister praised Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quarshie, for locating Sylvester Boakye, a Ghanaian who reportedly missed an updated evacuation notice and was the only person to arrive at O.R. Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, May 21.
Mr Ablakwa explained that Mr Boakye would still be included in the broader evacuation arrangement expected to assist about 800 Ghanaians. He emphasized that “no Ghanaian desirous of returning home would be left behind.”
The Minister also rejected reports claiming that Mr Boakye had already been flown back to Ghana, describing the information as inaccurate.
Clarifying the situation further, Mr Ablakwa stated that the Government of Ghana had not deployed any chartered flight for the evacuation exercise. According to him, the process was temporarily postponed after discussions with South African authorities to address legal, technical, and logistical concerns surrounding the operation.