Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed that government has begun legal and diplomatic efforts to secure compensation for citizens who lost businesses, property and investments during recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Speaking at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport while receiving a second group of about 340 evacuated Ghanaians, Ablakwa said the government would pursue restitution for victims in addition to repatriating affected citizens.
“The 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, assets, businesses and shops,” he said.
Ablakwa said authorities had begun a documentation exercise to collect evidence needed to support compensation claims, urging returnees to provide records of ownership, business operations and other assets lost during the attacks.
“We are putting together legal processes that we will activate to ensure that those properties you invested in, and in some cases your life savings, are not forgotten,” he said.
The minister said some of the affected Ghanaians had spent decades building businesses in South Africa before their investments were disrupted by the violence.
He added that President John Dramani Mahama had directed the government to take all necessary steps to protect the interests of affected citizens and had instructed him to petition the African Union on the matter.
According to Ablakwa, Mahama intends to raise the issue at an upcoming African Union meeting and advocate compensation and justice for victims.
“President Mahama has said he will not abandon you and he will not forsake you. That is why he has instructed me to petition the African Union and make a strong case for compensation,” the minister said.
Ablakwa described the attacks as a setback to the ideals of African unity and regional integration, principles long championed by Ghana.
He also sought to reassure returnees that the government was working to support their reintegration through employment opportunities and other social interventions.
The minister said approximately 200 jobs had already been secured following appeals to Ghanaian businesses and entrepreneurs to assist those returning from South Africa.
He highlighted the economic contribution of Ghanaians abroad, noting that diaspora remittances reached a record $7.8 billion last year, making them the country’s second-largest source of foreign exchange after gold exports.
“We value you. You are treasures to this country, and your contribution to Ghana’s economy is immense,” Ablakwa told the returnees.
The latest arrivals form part of an ongoing evacuation programme expected to bring nearly 1,000 Ghanaians home from South Africa following the attacks.
