President John Dramani Mahama has granted presidential approval for the immediate evacuation of 300 Ghanaian nationals currently trapped in South Africa following a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in the country.
The announcement was made by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who disclosed that the distressed Ghanaians had earlier complied with the Foreign Ministry’s advisory and registered with Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria to be rescued.
“His Excellency John Mahama has granted presidential approval for the immediate evacuation of 300 Ghanaians in South Africa,” Mr. Ablakwa stated.
“These distressed Ghanaians had earlier complied with the Foreign Ministry’s advisory and registered with our High Commission in Pretoria to be rescued following the latest wave of xenophobic attacks.”
The presidential directive represents a significant escalation of Ghana’s response to the deteriorating security situation facing its nationals in South Africa.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie, had earlier disclosed that nearly 200 Ghanaians had already expressed interest in returning home voluntarily.
The current crisis was partly ignited by a viral video showing Ghanaian national Emmanuel Akowuah Asamoah being harassed and threatened by a group of locals who accused him of residing in the country illegally.
Official checks by South African authorities confirmed that Mr. Asamoah is a legal resident who possessed all required documentation to live and work in the country.
Mr. Asamoah arrived in Ghana on Tuesday, May 5, accompanied by Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie.
He was received at the airport by Ambassador Harold Agyeman and other officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Business mogul Ibrahim Mahama has since offered to fully sponsor any business startup of Mr. Asamoah’s choice in Ghana, a development disclosed by Minister Ablakwa following a meeting with the returnee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ghana’s diplomatic response has been robust.
The Ghanaian government formally summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner on April 23, 2026, to lodge a formal protest over what it described as the “dehumanising” treatment of Ghanaian nationals.
Ghana subsequently petitioned the African Union Commission on May 6, 2026, requesting that the recurring xenophobic attacks be placed on the agenda of the upcoming AU session, arguing that the repeated attacks violate the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and threaten continental integration efforts including the African Continental Free Trade Area initiative.
The unrest in South Africa has largely been fuelled by anti-immigrant groups blaming foreign nationals for worsening economic hardships, including unemployment levels that remain above 30 percent.
Minister Ablakwa assured the public that the government remains unwavering in its commitment to the welfare of all Ghanaians, both at home and abroad.
“The Government of Ghana shall continue to safeguard the welfare of all Ghanaians home and abroad,” he stated.