The Minority in Parliament has intensified its demand for accountability over alleged irregularities in visa arrangements for Ghanaians seeking to tra
The Minority in Parliament has intensified its demand for accountability over alleged irregularities in visa arrangements for Ghanaians seeking to travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that removing former National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah cannot end investigations.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, welcomed President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to remove Mr Ampofo Ankrah from the NSA but argued that the decision should be regarded only as the beginning of the accountability process.
Mr Ampofo Ankrah was asked to step aside pending investigations into allegations surrounding a visa-facilitation scheme. The NSA has denied authorising any visa-processing or money-collection scheme.
Mr Assafuah said documents and records in the Minority’s possession point to a wider network involving the NSA, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), TRIBE Culture Fest and officials within the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
He explained that some people were presented to foreign diplomatic missions as staff, personnel, volunteers or affiliates of public institutions despite questions over their actual employment status. The Minority also raised concerns over alleged payments by prospective travellers, with some applicants reportedly being charged thousands of dollars. The allegations remain under investigation, and Mr Ampofo Ankrah’s lawyer has denied that his client collected money or facilitated the alleged scheme.
According to the Minority, the matter became particularly serious after the Fraud Prevention Unit of the United States Embassy reportedly identified discrepancies involving four applicants and sought evidence to establish their employment with the NSA.
The Minority further said the Canadian Embassy subsequently requested clarification on the employment, roles and reasons for travel of persons presented as NSA-affiliated applicants. Mr Assafuah argued that these developments raise questions not merely about visa applications, but about whether the names, authority and credibility of Ghanaian public institutions were allegedly used in dealings with foreign governments.
The Caucus is therefore demanding a broader investigation into the roles of Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams, GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Afua Houadjeto, NSA officials, Ministry officials and TRIBE Culture Fest.
The Minority is specifically calling for the immediate removal of the Sports Minister and the GTA Chief Executive, pending investigations into the allegations. Mr Assafuah stressed that dismissal should not be confused with criminal accountability, arguing that anyone found to have committed an offence must face prosecution, while administrative misconduct should attract appropriate sanctions.
He said investigators should trace any money allegedly collected from applicants, examine the preparation and transmission of institutional lists, verify claims about individuals being presented as public-sector personnel, and establish who authorised the arrangements.
The Minority maintained that the investigation must go beyond one former official and establish whether other officials or private actors participated in or facilitated any wrongdoing.
The Minority’s renewed demand comes as investigations into the alleged World Cup visa arrangements continue.
The allegations reportedly involve more than US$600,000 in payments from prospective travellers, while the NSA has maintained that it did not authorise a visa facilitation or money-collection operation. Mr Ampofo Ankrah has also denied wrongdoing through his lawyer, who says ongoing investigations will establish the facts.
Mr Assafuah said the Minority would continue to press for answers on who authorised the arrangements, who supplied names to foreign diplomatic missions, who verified the institutional identities presented, who allegedly collected money and who benefited from the process.
The Minority’s position is that the removal of the NSA Director-General must not become the end of the matter. It wants the documentary, financial, and institutional trail fully investigated and says anyone found culpable—administratively or criminally—must face the appropriate consequences.
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