Foreign Minister Debunks Evacuation Rumours, Says No Ghanaian Will Be Left Behind in South Africa Airlift
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has debunked reports that a Ghanaian national was evacuated alone from South Africa, clarifying that no chartered flight has been sent yet due to ongoing legal and logistical processes.
The clarification follows claims on social media that Sylvester Boakye was the only Ghanaian airlifted to Ghana by a government-chartered flight after missing an earlier evacuation notice.
In a statement on Thursday, Hon. Ablakwa said Mr. Boakye was located by Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, H.E. Benjamin Quarshie, after missing the updated evacuation notice and reporting alone at O.R. Tambo Airport yesterday.
The Minister said the High Commissioner met Mr. Boakye today at the Pretoria diplomatic mission, and assured him he would be included in the planned evacuation exercise covering some 800 registered Ghanaians.
“I commend Ghana’s hardworking High Commissioner to South Africa, H.E. Benjamin Quarshie for locating the young Ghanaian who missed out on our updated evacuation notice,” Ablakwa stated.
No flight has departed yet
Hon. Ablakwa stressed that Mr. Boakye was not airlifted to Ghana, as no chartered flight has been dispatched by the government.
“Clearly, Mr. Sylvester Boakye was not airlifted to Ghana as there was no chartered flight sent by the Government of Ghana due to an agreement with South African authorities to defer the evacuation pending the addressing of legal, technical and logistical matters,” he said.
The evacuation, originally set for May 21, 2026, was postponed to allow Ghana and South Africa to finalize mandatory passenger screening, multi-institutional coordination, and flight permits. Both governments have agreed on enhanced pre-evacuation modalities to expedite the process once requirements are met.
Assurance to Ghanaians in South Africa
The Foreign Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure no Ghanaian who wishes to return home is left behind.
“The young Ghanaian by name Sylvester Boakye can be assured that he would not be left out of the planned evacuations expected to cover some 800 people. No Ghanaian desirous of returning home would be left behind,” he said.
He described the meeting between the High Commissioner and Mr. Boakye as evidence that “fake news reports” claiming a solo evacuation had taken place were false.
“Truth stands; and truth always wins,” Ablakwa added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been coordinating with the High Commission in Pretoria to register Ghanaians seeking evacuation following a recent wave of xenophobic attacks in parts of South Africa. Officials say they will continue to provide updates as arrangements progress.
