The youth wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demonstrated in Accra, demanding an explanation from the government over the cost of evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa and the issuance of diplomatic and service passports.
The protest, held under the banner ‘Yɛgye Yɛ Sika’, centres on an alleged GH¢16.4 million discrepancy in the expenditure on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
A Deputy National Communications Director of the NPP told JoyNews that the demonstration was intended to demand accountability for the funds.
“It is simple; we are demanding the 16.4 million Ghana cedis that Okudjeto Ablakwa has shortchanged Ghanaians, so the protest is simple; we are demanding our money,” the official said.
The protesters want the government to release the original invoices, contracts and payment records for all charter flights used in the evacuation.
They are also demanding the publication of the full passenger manifest and list of beneficiaries to establish the number of people evacuated and those who benefited from the exercise.
The NPP youth wing is further calling for an independent audit of the total expenditure to clarify how the funds were spent and address questions surrounding the financial records.
The issuance of diplomatic and service passports is the second issue raised by the demonstrators.
They want the government to publish details of all such passports issued since January 2025, including the status or office qualifying each recipient and the authority that approved the documents.
The protesters are also calling for the cancellation of passports found to have been issued contrary to the applicable regulations.
The youth wing said the demonstration forms part of its campaign for transparency in the use of public funds and the administration of official travel documents.
The protesters took their demands to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seeking explanations from the government on the evacuation expenditure and passport issuance.
