Ghanaian industrialist and billionaire businessman, Mr Ibrahim Mahama has offered 100 immediate job opportunities to Ghanaians evacuated by the xenophobic crisis in South Africa.
This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, during a late night chat with the second batch of 345 evacuees who landed safely at the Accra International Airport on Saturday, June 6.
Addressing the returnees, many of whom were clearly distraught after leaving behind their investments, retail shops and hard-earned wealth to flee for their lives, the Foreign Minister revealed that corporate Ghana is rapidly mobilizing to ensure that they are not left destitute upon returning to the motherland.
lead to reunification
According to the Minister, a total of 200 secure employment opportunities have already been successfully closed by the State in partnership with forward-looking private entities to undertake long-term professional rehabilitation of the returnees.
Highlighting corporate interference, Mr Ablakwa said:
“I am very impressed that already, about 200 jobs have been secured for you and Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s Engineers and Planners are leading the way. They have offered 100 jobs,” he said.
The swift corporate response comes at a critical time when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, working closely with Ghana's High Commission in Pretoria, is racing against time to clear the backlog of citizens seeking asylum from anti-immigrant violence.
The emergency airlift was triggered by targeted attacks, intimidation and widespread destruction of foreign-owned properties in several South African metropolitan areas. Over 1,500 worried Ghanaians have registered for emergency evacuation after seeing their life savings destroyed by lawless local vigilante groups.
The arrival of the latest flight brings the total number of civilians successfully rescued to approximately 700, following an initial batch of approximately 300 evacuees who arrived safely in Accra on 27 May.
Immediately after the Foreign Minister's address, officials of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) started profiling the returnees based on their skill sets, mechanical experience and trade background to match them directly with the 100 jobs provided by engineers and planners.
The state has also set up temporary psycho-social trauma counseling clinics at the airport terminal to help returnees deal with the shock of losing their livelihoods. In the interim, telecom partners provided emergency mobile SIM cards, hot meals and transportation stipends to evacuees to facilitate safe travel back to their respective families across the country.
A third emergency rescue flight carrying more than 300 additional passengers is expected to land at the airport today, as the government reiterates that it will continue to leverage private sector partnerships to secure both the physical safety and long-term financial future of all citizens fleeing the South African crisis.
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