Ghanaian politicians clash over passport dispute and South Africa evacuation costs

Ghanaian political tensions have escalated following a dispute involving New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Vice Chairman Henry Nana Boakye, known as Nana B, and Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The controversy centers on allegations that an opposition MP pressured the Minister to allow Nana B to retain a service passport. Nana B has denied these claims, stating he only requested assistance to transfer existing visas from his surrendered service passport to an ordinary one.

Simultaneously, the Majority Caucus on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has defended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the GH¢49.72 million expenditure used to evacuate 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. The caucus maintains that the spending was prudent and that the Ministry provided comprehensive documentation, including evacuee registers and receipts for logistics. They rejected claims by the Minority that funds were unaccounted for, asserting that “not a cedi is missing” from the operation.