The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, over alleged irregularities in visa applications linked to Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The party is also demanding that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mrs. Maame Efua Houadjeto, step aside to allow independent investigations into the controversy, which it claims involves the submission of names of individuals who were not employees of the National Sports Authority (NSA) to foreign embassies.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Communications Director of the NPP, argued that the suspension of the NSA Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah should not be treated as the conclusion of the matter.
He maintained that the controversy raises broader questions about the conduct of public officials, the use of state institutions in visa facilitation arrangements and the potential consequences for Ghanaian travellers seeking visas to foreign countries.
According to him, the party would continue to pursue the matter until all individuals found culpable were held accountable.
“The removal of one Director-General is not accountability. It is a single step that the government is trying to turn into a destination,” he said.
The NPP insists that the controversy requires a comprehensive investigation covering the NSA, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Ghana Tourism Authority.
Mr Aboagye said the party’s concerns are based on documents, including memoranda of understanding, email correspondence, official letters and lists of applicants allegedly submitted to the United States and Canadian embassies.
He outlined a series of transactions and communications between the NSA, a private entity identified as Tribe Culture Fest, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the diplomatic missions.
According to him, a memorandum of understanding dated June 2, 2025, between the NSA and Tribe Culture Fest allegedly granted the private company exclusive operational access to NSA facilities.
He argued that the arrangement contradicted an earlier explanation by the Sports Minister that the company had merely rented space from the authority like any other private organisation.
The NPP Communications Director also referred to a supplementary arrangement dated January 19, 2026, under which the NSA allegedly agreed to pay Tribe Culture Fest $3,000 per person for United States visa processing and $2,000 for Canadian visa processing for NSA personnel.
He said the arrangement reportedly required payment regardless of whether an applicant’s visa was approved.
Mr Aboagye further cited an email dated January 28, 2026, which he said was sent by the NSA’s Chief Operating Officer to the US Embassy to introduce 22 individuals described as staff of the authority.
He claimed that the list included a board secretary, although the NSA allegedly had no officer occupying that position at the time, as well as individuals described as procurement officers whose appointments he questioned.
The NPP official said the US Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit subsequently flagged four applicants on March 18, 2026, for allegedly being presented under positions that did not exist within the NSA.
According to him, the embassy requested evidence of their employment, and the authority responded on the same day with letters confirming the appointments.
Mr Aboagye also questioned the Ministry of Sports and Recreation’s involvement in the visa facilitation arrangements.
He cited a letter dated May 28, 2026, which he said was addressed to the US Embassy under the heading Request for Ministerial Support and Visa Facilitation Consideration for NSA Volunteers/Event Coordinators.
According to him, the letter transmitted a list of 90 names to the embassy on behalf of the NSA.
He argued that the ministry’s use of its official letterhead to forward the list amounted to an endorsement of the individuals concerned, contrary to the ministry’s reported position that its role was limited to a technical review.
“The very reason such letters are sought from ministries is for the diplomatic support they provide. No embassy reads a ministry’s letter as a neutral carrier slip,” he said.
The NPP Communications Director questioned why the ministry would forward the names of individuals it could not subsequently vouch for as genuine NSA personnel.
He also challenged the ministry’s explanation that genuine NSA and ministry staff had been processed through a separate diplomatic channel.
According to him, that explanation raises questions about the identities of the 90 individuals whose names were allegedly forwarded to the US Embassy and the checks conducted before the ministry issued its letter.
Mr Aboagye said the ministry’s own account indicated that the request was dated May 19, received on May 25 and forwarded to the embassy on May 28, 2026.
He questioned whether sufficient verification could have been conducted within the three-day period between receipt and forwarding.
The NPP is demanding that the ministry disclose how the list was compiled, who verified the names and the purpose for which the individuals were presented to the embassy.
The party also raised concerns about a list submitted to the Canadian Embassy.
Mr Aboagye said that on June 8, 2026, the NSA Director-General submitted a list of 102 individuals after the Canadian Embassy requested a fresh and accurate list identifying applicants, their employment status and their roles.
According to the NPP official, only 15 of the 102 individuals were verified as personnel of the NSA, leaving 87 whose employment with the authority had allegedly not been established.
He said some of the individuals were assigned positions such as chaplain and head of security, which he described as questionable.
The NPP is demanding an explanation from the NSA and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation regarding the preparation of the list, the creation of the positions and the circumstances under which the names were submitted.
The claims, however, require verification through the relevant employment records, correspondence and findings of the ongoing investigations.
Beyond the alleged submission of names, the party raised concerns about the amounts applicants reportedly paid to secure visa facilitation services.
Mr Aboagye claimed that some applicants paid between $8,000 and $14,000 each, despite what he described as a contractual rate of $3,000 for US visa processing.
He further alleged that one individual paid as much as $20,000 under the arrangements.
According to him, the total amount collected from applicants was estimated at more than $600,000, with the Sports Minister reportedly citing a figure of $623,000.
The NPP is demanding a full account of the money collected, the identities of those who received the payments, the accounts into which the funds were paid and the amount recovered so far.
It is also calling for the recovery of funds allegedly obtained through the arrangements and the refund of money to applicants who were defrauded.
Mr Aboagye said applicants who relied on the names and credibility of public institutions should be encouraged to cooperate with investigators without fear of intimidation.
He argued that any investigation must establish whether public officers or private individuals profited from the arrangements and determine the extent of their respective roles.
The NPP Communications Director also alleged that some individuals who travelled under the arrangements had not returned to Ghana following the World Cup.
He claimed that some of those individuals were reportedly close to officials of the NSA leadership and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
The party wants the government to disclose the number of individuals who travelled under the arrangements, how many have returned to Ghana, who sponsored their trips and whether the travel conditions were consistent with the purposes stated in their visa applications.
The claims have not been independently verified, and no conclusions can be drawn about the circumstances of individual travellers without further evidence.
The NPP argues that establishing the identities and travel histories of the applicants is essential to determining whether the arrangements were used for purposes other than those officially declared.
Mr Aboagye accused the government of treating the controversy as an internal administrative matter that could be resolved through the suspension of the NSA Director-General and an investigation by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
He said the matter had implications beyond the sports sector, particularly regarding Ghana’s credibility before foreign governments and the potential impact on ordinary citizens applying for visas.
According to him, the alleged use of official letterheads, signatures and institutional designations to present private individuals as public officers could undermine confidence in documents issued by Ghanaian state institutions.
He warned that the controversy could expose legitimate travellers, students, traders, families and athletes to increased scrutiny when applying for visas to the United States and Canada.
The NPP is therefore urging the government to engage the two countries’ diplomatic missions and explain the steps being taken to address the allegations.
Mr Aboagye said the government should ensure that ordinary Ghanaian passport holders do not bear the consequences of the alleged actions of public officials.
He called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to brief the public on its engagements with the US and Canadian embassies and outline measures to protect Ghanaian travellers from any potential fallout.
The NPP’s position is that the government must establish accountability for any wrongdoing rather than allow the controversy to undermine public confidence in Ghana’s institutions.
The party outlined several demands, beginning with a call for Mr Kofi Adams to step aside as Sports and Recreation Minister.
Mr Aboagye argued that the minister should be subjected to the same accountability principles applied to the NSA Director-General, who has been asked to step aside amid the controversy.
He also called for the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority to step aside, arguing that the authority’s alleged involvement in the visa arrangements warranted independent scrutiny.
According to him, the NSA, the ministry and the GTA form part of a chain of institutions whose roles must be investigated.
The NPP wants the Presidency to clarify the status of the NSA Director-General and explain the action taken against him.
It is also calling on Parliament to summon the Sports Minister and the GTA chief executive to answer questions about their respective institutions’ involvement.
The party further wants Parliament’s committee responsible for youth and sports to conduct a public inquiry into the matter.
Mr Aboagye said such an inquiry would allow the public to hear evidence from the institutions involved and help establish how the arrangements were organised and implemented.
He argued that a transparent process would also demonstrate to Ghana’s international partners that the country was prepared to investigate alleged wrongdoing involving public institutions.
The NPP is demanding the publication of documents it believes are central to resolving the controversy.
These include the memorandum of understanding between the NSA and Tribe Culture Fest dated June 2, 2025; the supplementary arrangement governing visa processing fees; the agreement between the Ghana Tourism Authority and Tribe Culture Fest; and all lists submitted to the US and Canadian embassies.
The party also wants the Ministry of Sports and Recreation’s May 28, 2026, letter to the US Embassy made public.
Mr Aboagye argued that publishing the documents would enable Ghanaians to scrutinise the arrangements and establish the responsibilities of the institutions involved.
He said the government should also announce a clear timeline for the investigations and publish a report upon their conclusion.
The party warned against an open-ended investigation that fails to provide the public with clear answers.
Among the questions it wants answered are who compiled the list of 90 names forwarded by the ministry, what verification was conducted before the list was submitted and who prepared the 102 names sent to the Canadian Embassy.
It also wants investigators to establish how much money was collected, who received it, how much has been recovered and how many travellers have not returned to Ghana.
The NPP is additionally demanding an explanation from the Ghana Tourism Authority regarding its reported agreement with Tribe Culture Fest, any public funds committed to the arrangement and a petition allegedly submitted by some of its directors.
Mr Aboagye said the visa controversy was not the only matter requiring scrutiny in connection with Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He cited separate allegations of ticket racketeering, claiming that tickets purchased with public funds were allegedly resold to Ghanaian students and supporters.
According to him, the Sports Minister had told Parliament that the state spent approximately $1.26 million on 2,930 match tickets, some of which were intended for Ghanaian students and supporters.
He alleged that some tickets paid for by the state were subsequently sold to the same category of people they were meant to benefit.
The NPP Communications Director said the party would release further information in the coming days, including details of the individuals who received the tickets, those who allegedly sold them, the prices involved and the movement of the money.
He stressed, however, that the ticket allegations were a separate matter involving different individuals and arrangements from the visa controversy.
The claims would require examination of the ticket procurement records, distribution lists, payment records and any relevant investigative findings.
Mr Aboagye disclosed that a petition had been submitted to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) by a person he identified as Hon. Vincent, calling for investigations into aspects of the controversy.
According to him, the petition seeks clarity on how 48 individuals who were allegedly not media practitioners had their names presented on official letterheads to the US and Canadian embassies as media personnel.
He said the petition also raises questions about how individuals who allegedly did not work for the NSA were included in a list forwarded to the US Embassy as personnel of the authority.
The NPP wants the OSP to examine the circumstances surrounding the preparation and submission of the lists and determine whether any offences fall within its mandate.
The party maintains that the investigations should extend to every level of the chain, including officials who may have authorised, prepared, verified or transmitted the documents.
Mr Aboagye said the NPP is not seeking to convict anyone through a press conference and acknowledged that every individual mentioned in connection with the allegations was entitled to the presumption of innocence.
However, he insisted that the investigations must be independent, comprehensive and capable of establishing individual responsibility.
The party warned that the allegations could have implications for Ghana’s international reputation, particularly at a time when some Ghanaian travellers and businesses are already concerned about scrutiny in foreign jurisdictions.
Mr Aboagye argued that allegations involving official documents and visa applications could affect confidence in the country’s institutions if they were not addressed transparently.
He called on the government to demonstrate that any individuals found to have abused public office or participated in wrongdoing would be held accountable, regardless of their positions.
The NPP says it intends to continue raising the matter in Parliament, the media and across constituencies until its questions are answered.
The controversy now centres on several issues requiring clarification: the authenticity of the lists submitted to foreign embassies, the roles played by the NSA, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Ghana Tourism Authority, the amounts collected from applicants, and the extent of any wrongdoing.
By 1960news.com
