Some Ghanaian students chose to remain in Ukraine instead of returning home.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has insisted that Ghanaian nationals who do not respond favourably to the opportunity to be evacuated from Russia-invaded Ukraine will be on their own.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Government will not be responsible for those who decline the opportunity to be evacuated,” the Ministry said in a statement on Saturday, March 5.
Since Ukraine was invaded by Russian forces on Thursday, February 24, government has responded to calls from stranded Ghanaians, especially students, to be brought back home.
Most of them were facilitated to move to neighboring countries such as Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic, where they have been visited both by the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and a Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Thomas Mbomba.
“A few of them, however, decided to remain in the war-hit Eastern European country instead of returning home”, the ministry’s statement said.
The Ministry said despite commitment to evacuate Ghanaians in the neighboring countries and those still trapped in Ukraine, “government will only evacuate Ghanaian nationals who are willing to avail themselves of the evacuation exercise and return to Ghana”.
So far, 74 Ghanaian nationals have been successfully evacuated, as of Saturday, March 5.