The Minority in Parliament is asking the government to explain why it rejected a GH¢20 million support package from MTN Ghana for Ghanaians who were evacuated from South Africa.
The Minority wants to know why the offer was turned down, who made the decision, and whether the affected evacuees were consulted before the government rejected the assistance.
The issue was raised by the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo Adjei Ayeh, at a press conference on Thursday, September 10, after the government completed the voluntary evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
According to Nana Asafo Adjei Ayeh, the Minority has noticed some inconsistencies in the government’s explanation of what happened with MTN Ghana’s offer.
He said the government had indicated that MTN Ghana’s offer was rejected. However, MTN Ghana later publicly announced that it intended to provide GH¢20 million to support the evacuees.
This, he said, raises questions about why the company would make such an announcement if the government had already rejected the offer.
“If he did that, then why would the CEO or the institution again on the 20th or 26th come out again and announce something that the minister claimed in his press statement was rejected before them? It really does not add up for us.”
The Minority also wants to know whether the 1,964 Ghanaians who were evacuated from South Africa were consulted before the government rejected MTN Ghana’s proposed assistance.
Nana Asafo Adjei Ayeh questioned whether the evacuees were allowed to decide if they wanted the support.
“I don’t know whether it was by the consent of the 1,964 people. He spoke to them that an institution wants to give you 20 million, but I’m going to reject it. Do you agree or not?”
The Minority said it supports MTN Ghana’s proposed assistance if the money was meant to help the evacuated Ghanaians rebuild their lives.
Nana Asafo Adjei Ayeh particularly pointed to evacuees who lost their businesses and sources of income in South Africa because of the xenophobic attacks.
He questioned whether the GH¢5,000 reintegration support given to each evacuee would be enough to help people who had owned businesses such as restaurants, boutiques and barbering shops in South Africa.
“If somebody owns a restaurant, owns a boutique, owns a barbershop in South Africa and because of the xenophobic attack he’s brought back home, you think GH¢5,000 reintegration is reintegration?”
The Minority is therefore calling on the government to clearly explain why MTN Ghana’s GH¢20 million support offer was rejected, who made the decision and whether the affected Ghanaians were consulted before the offer was turned down.
