The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has demanded the public release of original invoices from Ethiopian Airlines for three chartered evacuation flights that reportedly cost Ghana $2.7 million. The flights were used to evacuate around 900 Ghanaians from South Africa.
At a press briefing on Sunday, October 18, Aboagye challenged Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to publish the invoices to clarify discrepancies in the reported costs. He referred to documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including a response to a Right to Information request dated September 18, 2026, and a report to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, which revealed that GH¢27,183,700 had been spent on chartered flights. This amount accounted for 55 percent of the total evacuation cost but did not include invoices, contracts, or the names of the operators.
Aboagye said available information suggested the first three chartered flights were arranged through a person named Mr Vanderpuye and operated by Ethiopian Airlines. He alleged that the government may have been charged nearly $300,000 more per flight than the actual cost. The Ministry’s documents put the cost at $750,000 per flight, while the NPP’s industry checks estimated the cost to charter a similar flight with Ethiopian Airlines or Air Tanzania at between $180,000 and $300,000.
“We put this to the Minister directly, and we invite him to prove it wrong with paper, not words. Publish the original Ethiopian Airlines invoices for all three flights, so we can have some proper conversation with the airline as to how and why it ripped off the country at such a crucial time,” Aboagye said.
He also questioned the relationship between the Ministry and Mr Vanderpuye. According to Aboagye, the Ministry’s Chief Director requested fresh invoices from Vanderpuye in September, months after the flights had taken place. He asked why invoices needed to be reissued for flights completed earlier.
Aboagye further demanded detailed records from Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria covering the flights, payments, and assistance provided to evacuees. He called on Minister Ablakwa to clarify allegations that his bodyguard had received $10,000 linked to the evacuation arrangements.
He asked the Minister to confirm whether the bodyguard had been dismissed and to explain the circumstances surrounding the alleged payment and dismissal. “If the figures are honest, the original invoices will settle this in a day. If they are not produced, Ghanaians will draw their own conclusions,” Aboagye said.
The allegations of overbilling and the alleged payment to the bodyguard have not been independently verified. The Foreign Affairs Minister’s response to the specific claims was not included in the materials provided.
According to Joy Online.
