‘It’s a storm in a teacup until there’s strong evidence of wrongdoing’ – Sulemana Braimah on SA evacuation

Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has described the controversy surrounding the government’s evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa as a “storm in a teacup”, saying that allegations of wrongdoing should not be entertained without concrete evidence. He said although questions about the cost of the exercise and the use of public funds were legitimate, the criticism surrounding the operation appeared excessive in the absence of further evidence to support claims of financial impropriety. Speaking on JoyNews ’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, Mr Braimah said the evacuation, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was a commendable intervention aimed at protecting Ghanaians caught up in the situation in South Africa.

“From all that I have followed, all that I’ve heard, all the analysis that I’ve seen, until there is any additional concrete evidence to back some of these things, I think that this is, for me, a storm in a teacup,” he said. He praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for taking steps to bring Ghanaians home, noting that Ghana had been among the first countries to respond to the situation by arranging the evacuation of its citizens. Mr Braimah said although the reported figure of 1,964 evacuees had been disputed, the arrival of Ghanaians and arrangements made to ensure their safety were not in question. He said that the importance of the exercise should be considered when assessing the amount spent on it. The MFWA Executive Director said the reported GH¢49. 7 million spent on the exercise translated into an average cost of about GH¢25,000 per person, based on the figure of 1,964 evacuees. He explained that the amount covered several expenses, including flights, accommodation, medication, transportation and…