Senior Research Fellow at Kumasi Technical University, Professor Smart Sarpong, has criticised Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for failing to acknowledge alleged inconsistencies surrounding the government’s reported expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.

Speaking on Peace FM’s morning show Kokrokoo, Prof Sarpong argued that good governance requires public officials to openly admit mistakes whenever concerns are raised, rather than adopting a defensive posture.

According to him, the Minister should have carefully reviewed the documents cited by the Minority and addressed any discrepancies identified.

“When you see inconsistencies, the first thing you do is to admit them because those working at the ministries are not angels,” Prof Sarpong stated.

The controversy centres on the government’s reported expenditure of GH¢49.72 million for the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. The Minority in Parliament has questioned the figures and is seeking clarification over an alleged GH¢16.42 million discrepancy in the expenditure records.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has consequently called for an independent audit to determine whether there were procedural irregularities, financial discrepancies, or evidence of wrongdoing. The party is also demanding the publication of original flight invoices and other related documents to enable independent verification of the expenditure.

Subsequently, the opposition called for the resignation or dismissal of Ablakwa, alleging inflated costs and possible financial irregularities linked to the evacuation exercise.

Prof Sarpong believes the controversy could have been contained if the Minister had acknowledged any errors and addressed public concerns directly.

“The approach would have been different if it was the Minister’s private business. That is not how he would have handled it…The main issue is degenerating. The mere admission of error has not yet come from the Minister or the Ministry. When you begin describing people as infantile, you put yourself in a political mode, and that is not governance,” he added.