Evacuees from South Africa receive GH¢5,500 support package
Evacuees from South Africa receive GH¢5,500 support package each – Ablakwa
Government has offered each evacuee from South Africa a sum GH¢5,500 as reintegration grant and travel and transport allowance as part of efforts to ensure their dignified return and reintegration into the Ghanaian system.
Addressing a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the package included a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant, GH¢500 travel and transport allowance alongside relief items from National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration.
The minister said the ministry would provide full account on the evacuation at the end of the exercise, and added that corporate bodies and philanthropic Ghanaians, including business mogul, Ibrahim Mahama, contributed to the evacuation exercise aside government’s commitment.
The two phases of evacuation would cover nearly 2,000 Ghanaians.
While the first phase saw the return of 926 Ghanaians, the second phase will also evacuate an estimated 1,000 more.
Other packages
The minister said government was rolling out other reintegration programmes for the evacuees from South Africa, including jobs, skills training, and entrepreneurship support.
Ablakwa said all returnees would be enrolled in a special national database to link them to employment opportunities, entrepreneurship support, skills development, and startup initiatives.
To coordinate the effort, a multi-agency Presidential Task Force on Reintegration has been established, bringing together the ministries of Employment and Labour Relations, Education, Trade and Industry, Gender and Social Protection, and Local Government for the purpose.
Mr Ablakwa added that the task force had begun skills mapping through detailed interviews to assess each adult returnee’s professional background, experience, and aspirations.
He said about 200 jobs had so far been secured through partnerships with the private sector.
Engineers and Planners Limited has committed 100 positions, while Telecel Ghana, AirtelTigo and other corporate entities have offered opportunities.
“Government believes strongly that no Ghanaian returning home under distressing circumstances should feel abandoned or excluded from national support systems,” the minister stated.
To support mental health, social workers will conduct follow-up visits to the evacuees for six months, while a dedicated helpline has been set up for their use.
Government also plans a public awareness campaign to combat stigmatisation of returnees.
The minister further stated that government was establishing a register of claims to pursue legal and diplomatic processes for compensation for returnees who lost businesses and property during the xenophobic attacks.
He added that the telecommunication firms AirtelTigo and Telecel had provided SIM registration services plus voice and data for all returnees.
Petition
The minister said government has petitioned the AU to urgently address recurring xenophobic attacks against Ghanaian and other African nationals.
He said the petition highlighted the loss of lives, attacks on African migrants, destruction of businesses, and threats to African unity and continental integration.
“Ghana believes that the best way to address this matter is not to look away and pretend nothing serious is happening, but to bring it into the open and have an honest discussion on this concern and how best to address it,” he stated.
Although the Eighth AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting was postponed, the minister said government had maintained the petition and secured ECOWAS Heads of State endorsement to pursue it at the next AU meeting.
Mr Ablakwa affirmed that the petition was “not intended to single out South Africa, but to encourage a collective continental response” to protect the rights and dignity of African citizens.
He added that the AU Commission Chairperson also reaffirmed the AU’s commitment during a recent meeting with President John Dramani Mahama and indicated he has engaged President Cyril Ramaphosa and South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola, on the matter.
