MTN Ghana has committed GH¢20 million to support Ghanaians returning from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks.
The company’s Board Chairman, Dr Ishmael Yamson, said the money will go beyond immediate relief, with the aim of helping the returnees rebuild their livelihoods and settle back into life in Ghana.
Speaking to Joy News on Thursday, August 20, Dr Yamson said MTN Ghana initially set aside GH¢10 million to welcome and support the returnees. However, the company later doubled the amount after realising that the initial allocation would not be enough to address their longer-term needs.
The GH¢20 million will therefore be pooled into a fund to help affected returnees restart their lives and livelihoods.
Dr Yamson also admitted that MTN Ghana should have engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier and expressed regret that the company was slower than some other organisations in rolling out its support.
He stressed, however, that the delay should not be seen as a lack of concern for the affected Ghanaians.
“We will do it. We’ll do it in a big way. We’ll do it in a way that will make more meaning,” he said.
Dr Yamson condemned the attacks and firmly distanced MTN Ghana from the violence, saying the company had been working to support those affected even if its efforts had not been widely visible.
He also praised organisations that had already stepped in to assist the returnees, including Telecel and the Pentecost Church.
The renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa have affected African migrants, including Ghanaians, with two Ghanaian nationals reportedly killed in separate incidents.
Ghana has since evacuated more than 1,000 nationals who felt unsafe in South Africa, with authorities working to support their reintegration.
