Accra, Ghana//-Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs today revealed the country has rejected a whopping GH¢20 million donation from MTN Ghana meant to support Ghanaian victims of the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
A statement issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in Accra on Wednesday (August 26, 2026), it indicated that while the government commended MTN for the gesture, it was unable to accept the offer.
“The Government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer; however, we respectfully decline,” the statement said.
The statement followed media reports suggesting that MTN Ghana, a subsidiary of the South African-owned MTN Group operating in Ghana, was preparing to donate GH¢20 million for the victims, with the publications attributing the announcement to an interview granted by the MTN Board Chairman, Dr Ishmael Yamson.
The Ghanaian government had made adequate provision for the ongoing evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians affected by the attacks and was therefore not in a position to accept the donation, according to the statement.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that the Mahama Administration has made adequate provision for ongoing evacuations and reintegration of Ghanaians and is therefore unable to accept this offer,” it stated.
The Ministry disclosed that the government’s position had earlier been directly conveyed to the Board Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of MTN when they called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on August 14, 2026.
The statement reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the humanitarian evacuations and the financial support for the reintegration of all Ghanaians brought back from harm’s way.
“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 said.
It further assured the public that a comprehensive account of the total cost of the evacuation exercise would be presented as soon as the exercise was concluded, in the interest of transparency and accountability.
“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 added.
The Ministry said the government would continue to create the best business ecosystem for all international brands operating in Ghana to succeed, irrespective of which country their businesses originated from.”
The statement reiterated that the welfare of all Ghanaians remains the government’s utmost priority.
