By Adnan Adams Mohammed
The government has issued a firm assurance to Ghanaian nationals fleeing recent unrest in South Africa that the state will employ all necessary resources to ensure their safe reintegration and long-term wellbeing back home.
The pledge was delivered by the Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, who led a high-powered state delegation to the Kotoka International Airport to receive the first batch of evacuees.
The returnees, numbering close to 300 citizens, were flown back home via a coordinated state-backed evacuation exercise managed alongside the National Disaster Management Organisation (Nadmo) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A Dignified Return, Not A Setback
Addressing the visibly shaken but relieved evacuees shortly after their arrival, the Chief of Staff emphasized that returning home under difficult circumstances should not be viewed as a personal failure or a permanent end to their aspirations.
”Do not view your return home as a setback. See this moment as an opportunity for a fresh start, a clean slate, and a chance to rebuild your lives with absolute dignity and hope. Your country has not forgotten you, and we will not abandon our citizens abroad or those who have returned,” Dr Julius Debrah assured the gathering.
The state delegation, which also included the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, spent time interacting with the returnees, many of whom had lost livelihoods and personal assets during the targeted violence in South Africa.
Comprehensive Reintegration Strategies Underway
To ease the immediate transition, Nadmo officials set up emergency stations at the airport to distribute relief packages, food, and medical assessments. The government has signaled that its intervention will extend far beyond immediate arrival assistance, mapping out medium to long-term economic support frameworks.
”Our immediate priority is comfort and stability, but our ultimate goal is sustainable reintegration. We are collaborating across multiple sectors to look at livelihood support schemes, skills alignment, and micro-enterprise setups so that our brothers and sisters can stand firmly on their feet right here at home,” noted an official attached to the repatriation task force.
Tears And Relief At Kotoka
For many of the evacuees, touchdown on Ghanaian soil brought a profound sense of psychological relief after weeks of living in heightened anxiety. Families gathered outside the arrival hall, sharing emotional reunions as relatives walked off the tarmac.
”We lived in constant fear every single day, not knowing what would happen next to our families or our businesses,” shared one of the returnees, holding back tears. “Hearing the assurance from the government today makes us feel like we actually have a home that cares. It won’t be easy to start over from nothing, but being alive and safe in Ghana is everything.”
The government has confirmed that monitoring and evacuation channels remain open in South Africa, with successive flights being structured to bring back remaining registered citizens who wish to be repatriated.
