The Ghanaian government has turned down a reported GH¢20 million offer from MTN Ghana to support citizens affected by recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed the decision in a statement shared by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Ablakwa on Wednesday, saying the government had become aware of reports concerning the proposed support.
The ministry acknowledged MTN Ghana’s gesture but said the government had decided not to accept the funds because it had already made arrangements to finance the evacuation and reintegration of affected Ghanaians.
“The Government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer, however, we respectfully decline,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the matter had already been discussed with MTN’s board chairman, Ishmael Yamson, and the company’s Chief Executive Officer when they met with Ablakwa on August 14, 2026.
Why Ghana rejected the donation
The government said it remained responsible for providing humanitarian assistance to Ghanaians being brought back from South Africa and had made financial provisions for both their evacuation and reintegration.
It also promised to publish a detailed account of the money spent on the evacuation exercise after it is completed.
The ministry said the disclosure would help promote transparency and accountability over public funds used during the operation.
The reported MTN proposal came to public attention following media reports that the telecommunications company planned to assist Ghanaian returnees.
A report published by MyJoyOnline on August 24 quoted Yamson as saying MTN initially considered spending GH¢10 million to welcome Ghanaians returning from South Africa before increasing the proposed support to GH¢20 million through a longer-term reintegration fund.
The report also indicated that Yamson acknowledged that the company should have consulted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier about the proposed initiative.
However, there was no independent confirmation of the reported donation from MTN Ghana at the time of the report.
MTN Ghana had also not publicly issued a statement confirming the proposal.
Background to the evacuation
The dispute over the proposed donation comes amid renewed concerns about attacks targeting African migrants in South Africa, with Ghanaian nationals among those affected.
The Ghanaian government has been conducting evacuation and reintegration efforts for citizens seeking to leave areas affected by the violence.
The latest development also recalls MTN’s previous assistance to Nigerians who were evacuated from South Africa during an earlier wave of xenophobic attacks.
At the time, MTN provided returnees with SIM cards and data packages valued at ₦50,000 and announced a ₦100,000 payment into the bank accounts of each affected Nigerian.
For now, Ghana’s government says it will continue funding the ongoing evacuation and reintegration programme and provide a full account of the expenditure once the exercise is concluded.