ACCRA, Aug. 26 — The Ghanaian government on Wednesday said it would not accept any support from telecommunication giant MTN toward the evacuation or reintegration of Ghanaians fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release that the government had become aware of statements attributed to MTN Ghana Board Chairman Ishmael Yamson that the company was preparing to donate 20 million Ghana cedis (about 1.78 million U.S. dollars) to the Ghanaian government to support evacuation and reintegration efforts.
“The government of Ghana commends MTN for the offer; however, we respectfully decline,” the release said, adding that the government’s position had been conveyed to the board of the telecommunication company.
The release continued that the Ghanaian government had made adequate resources available for the evacuation and resettlement exercise and, therefore, was unable to accept the offer.
Ghana has evacuated at least 1,600 citizens from South Africa amid continued xenophobic attacks. Founded in South Africa, MTN operates in many African countries.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
