Ghana Returnees From South Africa to Receive GH¢5,000 Grant and Job Placements

• Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced financial and reintegration support for Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa
• A two-phase operation is set to bring back nearly 2,000 Ghanaian citizens displaced by xenophobic violence in South Africa
• A Presidential Task Force is working to connect returnees with employment, training, and mental health services

Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa following a wave of xenophobic violence will each receive a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and a GH¢500 transport allowance, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed.

Speaking on the government's response, Ablakwa outlined a coordinated multi-agency package that also includes NADMO relief items and free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration for all returnees.

Two-phase evacuation covering nearly 2,000 citizens

The repatriation is being carried out in two phases. The first phase covers 926 citizens, with a further 1,000 expected in the second.

Funding comes from both the government and private contributors, including businessman Ibrahim Mahama.

Read also

Home at last as Ablakwa interacts with Ghanaian returnees repatriated from South Africa

According to a report by Graphic Online, a Presidential Task Force on Reintegration has been established to assess the skills of returning citizens and connect them with employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, and vocational training.

Private sector partnerships secured through the task force have already generated 200 job placements, including 100 positions at Engineers and Planners Limited, with additional roles available at Telecel Ghana and AirtelTigo.

Mental health support and property claims

Beyond financial assistance, the government has put in place six months of mental health follow-up support for the returnees from South Africa, alongside a dedicated helpline.

A claims register has also been set up for those who lost property during the violence.

"Government believes strongly that no Ghanaian returning home under distressing circumstances should feel abandoned or excluded from national support systems," Ablakwa stated.

Ghana has also escalated the matter to the African Union, with the backing of ECOWAS, calling for a continental response to the recurring targeting of African migrants in South Africa.

Read also

Ablakwa gives update on return of other Ghanaian killed in South Africa

"Ghana believes that the best way to address this matter is not to look away, but to bring it into the open," the minister added.

Ablakwa interacts with Ghanaian returnees

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa received the second batch of Ghanaians repatriated from South Africa on Monday, July 27.

The 150 returnees landed at Accra International Airport as part of the government's voluntary repatriation programme following xenophobic attacks.

Ablakwa told the returnees they were never without a home or a government, urging them to see their return as a homecoming.

Source: YEN.com.gh