The Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is holding a demonstration in Accra today, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to demand accountability from the John Dramani Mahama-led government over alleged financial mismanagement, lack of transparency and unfulfilled campaign promises.

The protest, dubbed the ‘Yegyeyɛ Sika Demo’, is expected to attract NPP youth members and supporters seeking explanations from the government over the reported GH¢49.7 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa.

A major demand by the protesters is for Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to provide a comprehensive account of how the funds were utilised and address concerns raised about the expenditure.

The group is particularly seeking clarification on whether there were accounting or reconciliation errors in the financial records, insisting that the public deserves transparency in the management of state resources.

“If it is your money, you will not allow that to happen. If it is your company, you will not allow that to happen to your company,” a representative of the NPP Youth Wing said.

The representative further questioned the actual status of the funds allocated to the evacuation exercise.

“The GH¢49.7 million that was given to Ablakwa, we want to know the true status of that money. Was there any error of transposition? Was there any accounting error in the course of balancing the account? We want to know,” the representative added.

Speaking to Citi News ahead of the demonstration, NPP Volta Regional Youth Organiser Emmanuel Senyo Amekplenu called on young Ghanaians to participate, arguing that citizens must demand answers whenever concerns arise over the use of public funds.

The NPP Youth Wing says the protest forms part of its broader campaign to hold the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration accountable and promote transparency in public financial management.

Background to GH¢49.7m evacuation expenditure

The demonstration follows an ongoing dispute between the NPP Minority in Parliament and the government over the financial details of the evacuation exercise.

On September 7, 2026, Ablakwa disclosed that a total of 1,964 Ghanaians had been evacuated from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026, following renewed xenophobic attacks.

He put the total cost of the operation at GH¢49,721,786, comprising GH¢33,721,786 in direct government funding and GH¢16 million contributed by Engineers and Planners, a company owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama.

According to the minister, GH¢38,835,512 was spent on flights, ground transportation, feeding, accommodation and medical expenses, while GH¢10,802,000 went into reintegration and transport allowances.

An additional GH¢84,274 was used to repatriate the bodies of two Ghanaians who died during the period.

Each returnee was reportedly entitled to GH¢5,000 as a reintegration grant and GH¢500 for transportation.

However, the Minority raised questions about the supporting documents after obtaining more than 200 pages of records from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a Right to Information (RTI) request.

The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, alleged that discrepancies involving payment registers, flight records, duplicate entries and other financial documentation had left approximately GH¢16.4 million requiring further clarification.

Ablakwa has dismissed suggestions that the funds are unaccounted for, maintaining that the government has documentary evidence, including passenger lists, airline receipts and payment acknowledgement records, to support the expenditure.

The ‘Yegyeyɛ Sika Demo’ is expected to intensify the political debate over the evacuation funds, with the NPP youth demanding further explanations from the government.