By Nadia Ntiamoah
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is facing renewed scrutiny over the government’s decision to reject a GH¢20 million donation from MTN Ghana while accepting a GH¢16 million contribution from Engineers and Planners, a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama, brother of President John Mahama.
Both offers were made in connection with the government’s emergency operation to evacuate 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa following reported xenophobic violence.
The contrasting decisions have triggered public debate over the government’s justification for turning down the larger corporate contribution while accepting a smaller private donation, particularly after the Foreign Affairs Ministry disclosed that the entire evacuation exercise eventually cost the state and its private partner GH¢49.72 million.
Why was MTN’s GH¢20 million rejected?
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has maintained that its decision to reject MTN Ghana’s offer was not based on the amount involved.
According to the Ministry, the government had already made adequate financial provisions for the evacuation and reintegration of affected Ghanaians before MTN publicly announced its GH¢20 million package.
The Ministry therefore said there was no need for the state to accept the corporate donation after arrangements had already been made to finance the emergency operation.
Ablakwa has subsequently stood by the decision despite the intense public discussion it generated.
The rejection became particularly contentious because MTN’s proposed contribution was GH¢4 million more than the amount later provided by Engineers and Planners.
Critics have consequently questioned why a GH¢20 million offer from one of Ghana’s biggest corporate entities was turned down while a GH¢16 million donation from Ibrahim Mahama’s company was accepted.
The evacuation bill that changed the debate
The controversy gained another dimension after Ablakwa disclosed the actual cost of bringing the affected Ghanaians home.
According to figures released by the Minister, the emergency operation cost GH¢49,721,786.
The operation had not been anticipated under the standard national budget because of the emergency nature of the situation, requiring the government to mobilise resources to evacuate and support the affected citizens.
The final financing arrangement involved both public funds and private support.
The Government of Ghana contributed GH¢33.72 million, while Engineers and Planners, owned by Ibrahim Mahama, contributed GH¢16 million.
Together, the two sources covered the reported GH¢49.72 million cost of the operation.
The disclosure has therefore intensified questions about the earlier decision to reject MTN’s GH¢20 million offer.
Where the GH¢49.72m went
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has also provided a breakdown of the expenditure.
An amount of GH¢38.84 million was spent on the logistical component of the operation.
This included chartered flights, commercial air tickets, ground transportation, temporary hotel accommodation, food and emergency medical care for the people affected.
A further GH¢10.80 million was distributed directly to the 1,964 returnees as reintegration or pocket money.
According to the figures released, each returnee received GH¢5,500 to assist with local transportation and restarting their lives after returning to Ghana.
The operation also involved the repatriation of the remains of two Ghanaian citizens who died during the unrest.
The Ministry said GH¢84,274 was spent on bringing their bodies back to Ghana.
It has further stated that the funds allocated to the exercise have been fully cleared and that there are no outstanding debts associated with the operation.
Why Ibrahim Mahama’s donation is attracting attention
The acceptance of the GH¢16 million contribution from Engineers and Planners has become a major talking point because Ibrahim Mahama is the brother of President John Dramani Mahama.
For critics of the government, the sequence of events raises questions about whether the decision to accept one donation and reject another was influenced by political considerations.
The central argument from critics is straightforward: if the government needed private financial support to supplement the GH¢33.72 million it provided, why was a GH¢20 million corporate offer rejected while a GH¢16 million contribution from a company associated with the President’s brother was accepted?
Opposition voices have used the issue to demand greater scrutiny of the government’s handling of the evacuation finances, including questions surrounding receipts, procurement procedures and the cost of chartered flights.
However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s stated reason for rejecting MTN’s offer is that the government’s financing arrangements had already been secured before the telecommunications company announced its proposed donation.
The Ministry has not, based on the information provided, said that MTN’s corporate ownership structure was the reason for the rejection.
The MTN-South Africa dimension
The controversy has nevertheless taken on an additional diplomatic dimension because the crisis prompting the evacuation occurred in South Africa, while MTN Ghana has strong corporate ties to the South African market through its wider group structure.
Supporters of Ablakwa’s position argue that accepting a donation from a company closely associated with South Africa during a crisis involving attacks against Ghanaians could have complicated Ghana’s diplomatic posture.
Some have framed the rejection as an assertion of national dignity and sovereignty, arguing that Ghana should not appear to depend on a South African-linked corporation to address the consequences of violence against its citizens.
Others, however, believe that the source of humanitarian assistance should not matter if the money is legitimately offered to help Ghanaian citizens in distress.
That disagreement has ensured that the issue remains politically sensitive.
Ablakwa insists the operation was necessary
The Foreign Affairs Minister has defended the government’s response to the crisis, maintaining that the evacuation was an emergency intervention to protect Ghanaian citizens caught up in the unrest.
The operation ultimately brought nearly 2,000 Ghanaians back home and included accommodation, food, transportation, medical support and reintegration assistance.
The decision to give each returnee GH¢5,500 has also attracted attention because it means the government went beyond simply transporting citizens back to Ghana.
The Ministry says the money was intended to help the returnees meet immediate needs and begin rebuilding their lives after the crisis.
The return of the bodies of two citizens who died during the unrest was also included in the operation.
