Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said Ghana has not ruled out evacuating more citizens from South Africa if the situation in the country deteriorates.
Ablakwa says Ghana’s mission in Pretoria has described the situation as “quite a dire situation” amid continued anti-immigrant sentiment.
Speaking on TV3’s The KeyPoints on Saturday, October 10, 2026, regarding developments in South Africa, he noted that the situation is partly linked to a recent decision by South Africa’s apex court on asylum seekers.
According to him, the Ministry’s Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau is monitoring developments and assessing the welfare of Ghanaians who might require assistance amidst the xenophobic attacks.
Ablakwa noted that government remains prepared to intervene if another wave of violence occurs.
“It does not mean that if we have another wave, a deterioration of the situation and there are Ghanaians who need assistance, it does not mean that the door is shut and that we will not move in. We will indeed,” he said.
He said Ghana’s 72 diplomatic missions around the world are monitoring the welfare of Ghanaians in their respective jurisdictions, disclosing that over 6,300 Ghanaians have been evacuated from distress situations worldwide since last year, including from Libya, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Of the total, 1,964 Ghanaians were brought home from South Africa during the most recent evacuation exercise.
On Ghana’s petition to the African Union (AU) over the attacks, the Minister said the continental body has responded and indicated that the matter will be placed on the agenda of its next summit in January 2027.
He said he will not comment extensively on the latest attacks to avoid prejudicing discussions at the summit.
He has, however, urged the South African authorities to take further steps to prevent the violence against foreign nationals from recurring.
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