By Hannah Dadzie
Government has begun processes to seek compensation for citizens who lost businesses, properties and other investments during recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced this while welcoming the second batch of Ghanaian evacuees at the Accra International Airport.
“Government of Ghana has decided that we are not going to sit back without any effort in attempting to secure compensation for those of you who have lost your properties, lost your assets, lost your businesses, your shops and what have you. So we are putting together legal processes that we will activate to ensure that those properties you invested in and some of you, your life savings, you have worked for more than two decades, three decades, to put together businesses that were thriving,” Mr Ablakwa said.
According to Mr Ablakwa, legal mechanisms are being put in place to pursue justice and compensation for victims who suffered significant financial losses as a result of the violence. He said returnees would be required to provide documentation on businesses, shops, houses and other assets left behind to support the claims.
“We are going to make sure that we go all out to obtain compensation for you. So as part of the documentation that we are preparing, please make sure that you provide all the information that we require.
Those of you who own houses, who own schools, who own shops, let us have the documentation that will serve as evidence for the case that we are building,” He indicated.
Mr. Ablakwa disclosed that President John Dramani Mahama has directed that the matter be elevated to the African Union, where Ghana will push for compensation and accountability for affected citizens.
“President Mahama has said that he will not abandon you, he will not forsake you. And that is why he instructed me to petition the African Union and at the next African Union media coordinating meeting, President Mahama is going to make a very strong case for you so that you will be compensated, so that justice will be done in this matter,” The Minister said.
He acknowledged that many returnees had lost investments built over decades but urged them not to lose hope, stressing that government was committed to helping them recover and rebuild their lives.
Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, assured the evacuees that government had put in place measures to support their successful reintegration.
She urged them to remain hopeful despite their experiences and to take advantage of available social interventions and economic opportunities.
The Gender Minister said special attention would be given to psychosocial support to help the returnees recover emotionally and mentally from the trauma they endured.
“Once there is life, there is hope,” she said, encouraging the evacuees to channel the same energy and determination they used abroad into helping to build Ghana.
Minister of Health , Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, also assured the returnees of government support, including access to healthcare services.
He announced that all evacuees would be registered free of charge onto the National Health Insurance Scheme and would benefit from key government health interventions, including free primary healthcare services.
Mr. Akandoh said medical teams, counsellors and emergency response personnel had been deployed to support the returnees upon arrival and would continue to monitor their wellbeing.
The evacuation exercise is being coordinated by Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria in collaboration with South African authorities and other stakeholders, as efforts continue to ensure the safe return of Ghanaian nationals who have opted to leave South Africa.
Some of the returnees expressed relief and excitement at being back home amid concerns over ongoing xenophobic attacks in parts of South Africa.
“We are so grateful. Thank you so much. May almighty God be with the nation of Ghana.” An evacuee
“We are so stressed. I am stressed because of the police. We keep running.We are crying. We want this party to last forever and we do appreciate what the government has done for us,” An evacuee.
“May God bless our land and bless our leaders. We are all black, so like sometimes we can’t understand how the white people colonize our mind, but we are here, thanks to the Ghana government, we do appreciate that we are back to our motherland.” Another evacuee
The latest group forms part of an ongoing government evacuation exercise launched in response to attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
A third group of evacuees is expected to arrive on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
The first batch of 300 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa arrived at the Accra International Airport on May 27, 2026, at about 3 p.m.
