The government has declined a GH¢20 million donation reportedly offered by MTN Ghana to support Ghanaian victims of recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, said it had become aware of media reports suggesting that MTN Ghana was preparing to donate GH¢20 million to Ghanaians affected by the attacks.

The Ministry said the reports attributed the intended donation to comments made by MTN Board Chairman, Dr Ishmael Yamson.

While acknowledging and commending the telecommunications company for the offer, the government said it had decided not to accept it because it had already made arrangements to finance the evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians affected by the situation.

Read Also: MTN Ghana pledges ¢20m support package for Ghanaians returning from South Africa.

“The Government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer; however, we respectfully decline.”

According to the Ministry, the government’s position is based on the provision already made by the John Mahama administration for the ongoing evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians from South Africa.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that the Mahama Administration has made adequate provision for ongoing evacuations and reintegration of Ghanaians and is therefore unable to accept this offer.”

The Ministry said the decision had already been communicated directly to the MTN Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer when they met the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on August 14, 2026.

The government, however, stressed that it remains committed to providing financial support for the evacuation and reintegration of Ghanaians affected by the xenophobic attacks.

“Meanwhile, the government of Ghana remains fully committed to current humanitarian evacuations and reintegration financial support for every Ghanaian brought back from harm's way.”

The Ministry also assured the public that it would provide details of the expenditure associated with the evacuation exercise once it is completed.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures that it will present to the general public a comprehensive account of the total cost of evacuations as soon as the exercise is concluded, in the interest of transparency and accountability.”

Gov’t assures MTN, other international brands of support

The government further used the statement to reaffirm its commitment to creating a favourable business environment for international companies operating in Ghana.

It said the government would continue to support international brands irrespective of their country of origin.

“Government will continue to create the best business ecosystem for all international brands operating in Ghana to succeed, irrespective of which country their businesses originated from.”

The Ministry said the welfare of Ghanaians remained its overriding concern.

“The welfare of all Ghanaians remains our utmost priority.”

The government's decision comes amid efforts to evacuate and reintegrate Ghanaians affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Ministry did not indicate in the statement the exact cost of the ongoing evacuation exercise but said a comprehensive account would be made public after its completion.

Analysis: MTN’s delayed response to South Africa xenophobic attacks

MTN Ghana’s decision to support Ghanaians affected by the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa comes against the backdrop of growing public criticism over what many perceived as the company’s silence during the height of the crisis.

The criticism was particularly significant because MTN Ghana is part of a South African-founded multinational group. As tensions escalated, some Ghanaians and Nigerians even called for retaliatory action against South African businesses operating in Ghana and Nigeria.

Against this backdrop, MTN Ghana’s eventual intervention appeared to be an attempt to respond to both the humanitarian situation and concerns about the company’s initial silence.

In an interview with JoyNews on August 23, 2026, MTN Ghana Board Chairman, Dr Ishmael Yamson, acknowledged that the company’s response had been delayed and apologised.

“I apologise that we haven’t done that.”

Dr Yamson explained that MTN’s position was consistent with that of its parent group and the wider corporate sector in South Africa, which had spoken out against the attacks.

“The corporate sector in South Africa has been very outspoken against it. The MTN chairman spoke directly, and he condemned it in no uncertain terms.”

He subsequently disclosed that the company’s board had decided to provide financial support to Ghanaians returning from South Africa.

“When the issue broke, I can tell you, the board immediately decided that we would set aside ¢10 million as a welcome back.”

According to Dr Yamson, MTN later decided to double the amount and establish a fund to support the returnees.

“So why don’t we do that? So that ¢10 million that we were going to use to welcome them, that putting that into action was delayed because we had to draw it back, because we needed to add an additional ¢10 million that we would put in the fund.”

The eventual proposal, therefore, was for a GH¢20 million support package for Ghanaian victims and returnees.

The timing is important. MTN’s announcement came after the company had already faced criticism over its perceived lack of a visible response to the attacks. Dr Yamson’s admission that the company’s response was delayed therefore went some way towards acknowledging that concern.