Govt Announces Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund
The Government is set to establish a Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund to provide dedicated financial support for Ghanaians who find themselves in distress or emergencies outside the country.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced this at a media briefing in Accra on Monday, following the conclusion of the Government’s evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
He said the fund would provide a dedicated emergency response mechanism for Ghanaians facing crises anywhere in the world.
Mr Ablakwa said the initiative formed part of lessons from the South Africa evacuation and other recent situations that had required government intervention to protect and repatriate Ghanaian citizens.
The Minister said the South Africa evacuation, which lasted from May 27 to September 4, 2026, cost GH¢49.72 million.
He explained that the exercise had not been provided for in the national budget because it was triggered by an unforeseen emergency.
The government spent GH¢33.72 million on the evacuation, while Engineers and Planners contributed GH¢16 million towards the cost.
Each of the 1,964 returnees also received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration grant and GH¢500 as a transport allowance.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the establishment of the Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund would provide a more structured financing arrangement for responding to emergencies involving Ghanaian citizens abroad.
He said the Government’s responsibility to protect citizens did not end at Ghana’s borders, particularly when citizens faced threats to their lives and welfare in foreign countries.
The announcement comes against the background of increasing cases requiring the evacuation or repatriation of Ghanaians from different parts of the world.
The Minister disclosed that since 2025, a total of 4,972 Ghanaians had been repatriated to Ghana from several countries.
The countries included Libya, where 3,807 Ghanaians were repatriated; Côte d’Ivoire with 440; Nigeria with 246; Cambodia with 244; Algeria with 201; Kuwait with 18; Sierra Leone with eight; Mauritius with five; Morocco with two; and Iraq with one.
Mr Ablakwa said the Government was also intensifying efforts to protect Ghanaian youth from illegal recruitment agencies and trafficking networks that expose them to dangerous situations abroad.
He cited the case of Ghanaians recruited into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying 62 Ghanaian nationals had lost their lives, 15 remained missing, and two were being held by Ukrainian authorities as prisoners of war.
He said negotiations were ongoing to secure the release of those being held, while the government continued efforts to address the activities of criminal recruitment networks.
The Minister said the Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund would therefore strengthen the country’s ability to respond to emergencies and support citizens in distress abroad.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to protecting the lives and welfare of Ghanaians wherever they may be.
Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran, ISD
