The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says Ghana deserves commendation for the swift evacuation of 1,964 citizens who sought to leave South Africa amid xenophobic attacks.
He made the remarks during an interview on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, October 10, 2026, while responding to renewed concerns over anti-immigrant sentiments in South Africa.
According to the Minister, the government acted proactively to protect Ghanaians who felt unsafe and voluntarily registered to be evacuated.
“It does appear to us that the whole undercurrents of anti-immigrant sentiments continue to remain strong. That is why, as a government, we must be commended for how proactively we acted,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa noted that previous waves of xenophobic attacks had not resulted in a similar evacuation exercise by the Ghanaian government, describing the operation as a significant step in protecting citizens abroad.
He said the 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated included citizens who had sought refuge at Ghana’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria and the Pentecost Church in South Africa.
The Minister also disclosed that he had personally commended the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama for the church’s assistance to Ghanaians seeking safety.
Mr Ablakwa stressed that the evacuation exercise was open to all Ghanaians who voluntarily signed up, irrespective of their political affiliations, regional backgrounds or other differences.
“You don’t have to show a party card, you don’t have to indicate which part of Ghana you are coming from. To us, once you are a Ghanaian, you qualify. It is a matter of right,” he stated.
He reaffirmed the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s commitment to protecting Ghanaians overseas, insisting that the government would respond whenever citizens faced threats to their safety.
“Our motto at the Ministry, when it comes to these matters, is that, ‘when you touch one Ghanaian, you touch all of us’,” he said.
The Minister added that any attack on a Ghanaian anywhere in the world would be treated as a matter of national concern, with the government prepared to mobilise resources to bring affected citizens out of harm’s way.
His comments come amid renewed concerns about anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa, where tensions surrounding migration and the treatment of foreign nationals have continued to draw attention.
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