Ghana has rejected any suggestion that it could be asked to reimburse South Africa for the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals, saying it fully financed the operation with support from Ghanaian partners.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said more than 1,600 Ghanaians had been evacuated from South Africa since May 2026 following recent xenophobic attacks, with the operation still ongoing.

Ghana did not seek any financial or material support from the South African government to bring its nationals home, the ministry said, adding that the evacuation was entirely funded by the Ghanaian government and Ghanaian partners.

The clarification follows reports that Pretoria is seeking about $18 million in reimbursement from several African countries for costs incurred in repatriating foreign nationals amid a wider crackdown on undocumented migrants and a rise in voluntary returns. South Africa has identified Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia among the countries from which reimbursement has been sought. Ghana was not included.

Ghana said it had spent about 10.6 million Ghanaian cedis on the first two phases of its evacuation programme. The first phase brought 926 Ghanaians home at a cost of roughly 5.1 million cedis, while a second phase involving another 1,000 evacuees cost about 5.5 million cedis.

The support package also included reintegration assistance, transport fares and relief items.

The ministry said the latest evacuations followed the same arrangement, with Ghana and its partners bearing the full cost. It assured citizens that Ghana would not be among the countries asked by South Africa to reimburse repatriation expenses.

The dispute comes as South Africa seeks to recover part of the costs associated with a broader repatriation programme. South African authorities have said they spent nearly $18 million on transportation, temporary accommodation, staffing and other expenses linked to the repatriation of foreign nationals.

Ghana's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the government would continue to take action to protect its citizens abroad whenever their safety was at risk, regardless of the cost required.