The Ghanaian government has declined MTN Ghana’s proposed GH¢20 million support package for citizens affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa, saying it has already made adequate financial arrangements for their evacuation and reintegration.
The Ghanaian government has declined a proposed GH¢20m (approximately ₦2.4 billion) donation from MTN Ghana to support citizens affected by recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement posted by Foreign Minister Samuel Ablakwa on Wednesday, said it had become aware of media reports that MTN Ghana was preparing the donation for Ghanaian victims of the attacks.
“The media publications seem to attribute the announcement of this intended GHS20million donation to an interview granted by the highly regarded MTN Board Chairman, Dr. Ishmael Yamson.
“The Government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer, however, we respectfully decline,” the ministry said.
It added the Mahama administration had made adequate provision for the ongoing evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians and was therefore unable to accept the offer.
According to the ministry, the government’s position had earlier been conveyed directly to Yamson and MTN Chief Executive Officer when they visited Ablakwa, on August 14, 2026.
“Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana remains fully committed to current humanitarian evacuations and reintegration financial support for every Ghanaian brought back from harm’s way.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures that it will present to the general public a comprehensive account of the total cost of evacuations as soon as the exercise is concluded, in the interest of transparency and accountability,” the statement said.
The government’s decision followed media reports, including one from MyJoyOnline on August 24, which quoted the MTN board chairman as saying the company initially planned to spend GH¢10m on welcoming returnees but later decided to establish a fund with an additional GH¢10m to support their longer-term reintegration.
The report also said Yamson acknowledged that MTN Ghana should have engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier on the initiative.
However, PUNCH Online cannot independently confirm the proposal.
MTN Ghana had not issued a statement on the matter as of the time of filing this report.
The development comes against the backdrop of renewed xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants in South Africa, including Ghanaians, and government-led evacuation efforts.
In Nigeria, MTN previously supported Nigerians evacuated from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks.
The telecommunication company donated free SIM packs with data worth ₦50,000 to returnees and pledged to pay ₦100,000 into the bank accounts of all returnees.
