By Melissa Sackey
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called for an independent audit of payments made to Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa, following conflicting accounts of the financial support received by some returnees.
Addressing the media ahead of the opening of the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament, he said investigations undertaken by the Minority had revealed discrepancies between the amounts announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and what some evacuees claimed to have received.
According to him, while the Ministry maintains that each evacuee received a package of GH¢5,500, some returnees claim they received only GH¢2,000.
Lawyer Afenyo-Markin argued that the matter required an independent investigation, insisting that the minister responsible should step aside to allow for a transparent audit.
“A minister cannot sit over the audit of his own exercise. He should step aside for the audit to be seen as independent,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that the Minority had paid or coached any of the evacuees to make allegations, insisting that complaints from returnees should be addressed through proper accountability mechanisms rather than attacks on those raising concerns.
“The Minority has not paid or coached any evacuee. The answer to a returnee’s complaint is not a payment record, nor an attack on the messenger,” he stated.
He further called for an audit of every evacuation exercise undertaken since 2017, stressing that a broader review must not distract from the specific concerns surrounding the latest exercise.
He also called for the publication of the audit’s terms of reference, timeline and findings.
On employment, the Minority Leader questioned the government’s implementation of its 24-hour economy policy, particularly its promise to create jobs through a three-shift system.
He said the Minority would demand clarity on the institutions responsible for implementing the policy and the number of jobs created under the initiative.
“Where is the one job, three shifts? The government must answer which institution is implementing the policy. An authority that comes with a promise must live by that promise,” he said.
Lawyer Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would closely scrutinise the 2027 Budget to determine whether it contained firm commitments on employment targets and public-sector job creation.
The media engagement forms part of activities ahead of the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament, widely regarded as the Budget Meeting, during which Parliament is expected to undertake key legislative and budgetary business.
The engagement is intended to strengthen communication between Parliament and the Ghanaian public, whose sovereignty underpins the authority exercised by the legislature.
