Ghanaian business magnates and multinational corporate giants have mobilised to partner with the government to provide comprehensive livelihood restoration and full economic integration for citizens evacuated from South Africa.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, revealed the private sector intervention on Saturday night, June 6, 2026, at the Accra International Airport while welcoming the second batch of 345 Ghanaian evacuees who fled raging anti-immigrant violence in South Africa.
Addressing the returnees, many of whom were visibly distraught after watching their retail shops, savings, and decades of hard work destroyed by xenophobic rioters, the minister announced that corporate Ghana refuses to remain a passive bystander in the face of national distress.
The Private Sector Response
According to the minister, some of the country’s most influential business leaders and telecommunication executives have proactively reached out to the state apparatus to establish a structural economic cushion for the displaced returnees.
The corporate intervention aims to deploy substantial capital, digital tools, employment slots, and business integration packages to ensure that no evacuee is left destitute upon their return to the country.
Announcing the arrival of the private sector rescue partnership, Mr Ablakwa stated:
“Ibrahim Mahama, AirtelTigo and Telecel, they have also reached out, and there are many other CEOs calling that they are all going to be part of this programme. They are not going to sit back and just watch you having lost everything, lost your businesses, lost your investments, and lost your assets. They are going to partner with the government to make sure that you are fully integrated.”
The inclusion of prominent industrialists like Ibrahim Mahama, the founder of Engineers and Planners, alongside telecom heavyweights Telecel and AirtelTigo, signals a major shift toward long-term professional rehabilitation rather than temporary emergency relief.
The partnership will likely focus on providing technical training and direct entrepreneurial seed capital to help returnees establish new commercial enterprises within the 16 regions of Ghana.
The emergency evacuation exercise, swiftly launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with Ghana’s high commission in Pretoria, was triggered by targeted attacks, intimidation, and the widespread looting of foreign-owned properties across South Africa.
The arrival of Saturday night’s flight brings the total number of successfully rescued citizens to nearly 700, following an initial batch of approximately 300 evacuees who safely touched down in Accra on May 27.
Comprehensive On-Arrival Support
Immediately following the minister’s briefing, officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) began categorising the returnees based on their professional skill sets, trade backgrounds, and immediate economic needs.
The data collected will be used to streamline the corporate integration pipeline backed by the volunteer CEOs. In the interim, each evacuee received emergency mobile SIM cards from the telecom partners, psycho-social trauma counselling, and an immediate transport stipend to travel back to their families.
With a third emergency flight carrying over 300 additional passengers expected to touch down at the airport today, Sunday, June 7, 2026, the Foreign Ministry has reiterated its resolve to maintain maximum speed in securing both the physical safety and the long-term financial future of all citizens fleeing the South African crisis.
Myjoyonline
