By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, Oct. 7, GNA – The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for a broader investigation beyond the suspension of Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA).
Mr Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the Ranking Member of the Youth and Sports Committee of Parliament, addressing a press conference in Parliament House on Wednesday, commended President John Dramani Mahama for acting on its earlier call for the removal of the NSA boss.
He, however, said, “The issues raised go beyond one individual and involve the NSA, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, and a private partner, TRIBE Culture Fest.”
According to Mr Assafuah, also the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo, “the engagement began after TRIBE Culture Fest was introduced to the NSA and GTA in connection with Ghana’s activities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
He alleged this led to formal arrangements, including a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] between the NSA and TRIBE on June 2, 2025, for the joint execution of Ghana’s World Cup framework.
The Caucus claimed that under the arrangements, TRIBE was to facilitate visa processing, accommodation and logistics for personnel at a documented cost of US$3,000 per person for United States (US) visas and US$2,000 for Canadian visas.
He alleged that following meetings involving the US and Canadian embassies, visa slots were allocated for staff and affiliates of the institutions travelling for World Cup-related promotion.
He further claimed that lists submitted to the embassies included persons whose institutional status could not be verified.
Citing documents Mr Asaafuah says were in his possession, he alleged that “on January 28, 2026, 22 persons were presented to the US Embassy as NSA personnel, and that verification checks showed discrepancies in titles such as Board Secretary, Northern Region Coordinator, and Procurement Officer,” he said.
The MP also claimed that the Fraud Prevention Unit of the US Embassy flagged four applicants in March 2026 and requested proof of employment, while the Canadian Embassy later sought clarification on a separate list of 102 persons submitted in June 2026, of whom the group claims only 15 were verifiable NSA staff.
On the GTA side, he alleged that 50 persons were presented as media personnel to the US Embassy, with only two identified as known media practitioners during embassy verification.
“Some applicants were charged amounts ranging from US$7,000 to US$14,000, contrary to the documented institutional cost,” he said.
The Caucus said the matter raises questions about the use of institutional names and correspondence in dealings with foreign diplomatic missions and the financial arrangements surrounding the process.
It has therefore called for an independent investigation to establish who authorised, prepared and approved the lists submitted to the missions, how much was collected from applicants, the accounts through which payments were made, and the full utilisation of the allocated visa slots.
The allegations are yet to be independently verified, and the institutions and persons named have not publicly responded to the specific claims at the time of publication.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
07 October 2026
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Email: elsie.osei.org.gh