Boamah Faults Government Over Rejection of MTN’s GH¢20m Support

Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has criticised the government for rejecting a GH¢20 million support package from MTN Ghana for Ghanaians affected by recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Speaking on an interview on UTV dated Friday August, 2026, Mr Boamah said the financial support could have offered immediate relief to Ghanaians who suffered losses and difficulties during the attacks.

“We should have collected the money,” he stated.

The MP said MTN has made major investments in Ghana, created jobs and contributed to economic activities, arguing that the company’s decision to support affected Ghanaians should have been welcomed.

“They have created jobs and also lots of activities in the country. They did not come as Father Christmas; they have invested in a lot and they expect to get profit from the investments,” he said.

Mr Boamah disagreed with the decision to reject the assistance because MTN has South African majority ownership. He said the company’s willingness to support Ghanaian victims should have been considered separately from its ownership structure.

“So if something like this has come and it is a Ghanaian company with a South African majority and the country has been faced with a problem and they are willing to help and the country refuses, they do not lose,” he stated.

According to him, the rejection meant affected Ghanaians lost an opportunity to receive financial assistance at a difficult time.

“People have been affected and they could have used the money to support them,” he said.

While condemning the attacks on Ghanaians in South Africa, Mr Boamah urged the government to rely on diplomacy to ease tensions and protect Ghanaian citizens.

“What happened to us there was not easy, but we need to use diplomacy to resolve lots of these issues,” he said.

He maintained that accepting MTN’s support would not have stopped Ghana from pursuing diplomatic measures to protect its citizens and address the broader tensions between the two countries.