Minority Demands Dismissal of Sports Minister and GTA CEO Over World Cup Visa Allegations

By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
7 October 2026

The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has called for the dismissal of Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams and Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) Chief Executive Officer Maame Afua Houadjeto over alleged irregularities surrounding visa arrangements connected to Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The demand was made on Wednesday, October 7, by the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, during a press conference in Accra.

The Minority’s call comes after President John Dramani Mahama asked former National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to step aside while police investigate allegations surrounding a visa-facilitation arrangement linked to travel for the tournament.

The Minority argues that the removal of the NSA chief should not bring the matter to an end, saying the investigation should examine the roles of other institutions and officials allegedly connected to the arrangements.

Minority Says Accountability Should Go Beyond NSA

Assafuah said the decision involving Ampofo Ankrah should be viewed as the beginning of a broader accountability process rather than the conclusion of the controversy.

The Minority has questioned whether the Sports Ministry exercised sufficient oversight over activities involving the NSA and other institutions involved in arrangements for people travelling to the United States and Canada for the World Cup.

“The dismissal of Yaw Ampofo Ankrah does not, by itself, resolve the issues before us. Accountability cannot and does not end with one individual,” Assafuah said, according to reports of the press conference.

The caucus is consequently calling for investigations into the Sports Minister, GTA leadership, NSA officials and private entities that were allegedly involved in the arrangements.

Allegations Surround Visa Facilitation

The controversy centres on arrangements made to facilitate visa applications for people seeking to travel in connection with Ghana’s participation in the 2026 World Cup.

The Minority has raised questions about alleged payments made by individuals seeking access to the visa arrangements.

According to the caucus, some individuals allegedly paid amounts ranging from US$7,000 to US$14,000.

The Minority wants investigators to establish how the money was collected, who authorised the arrangements, who benefited and whether the procedures used were lawful.

Other reports have previously cited an overall figure of approximately US$623,000 in visa facilitation fees connected to the arrangements.

These figures and the circumstances surrounding the payments remain part of the issues being investigated and should not be treated as proven criminal conduct.

Questions Over Names Submitted to Foreign Embassies

The Minority has also raised questions about lists of people submitted to foreign diplomatic missions as part of the visa process.

Assafuah alleged that some individuals who were not employees or affiliates of public institutions were presented as representatives of those institutions in communications concerning visa applications.

The Minority says this raises questions about how public institutional identities and authority were used in dealings with foreign diplomatic missions.

According to reports of the press conference, the caucus also questioned a list of 50 people presented as media personnel to the United States Embassy. Assafuah said the Minority’s verification indicated that only two of the 50 could be identified as media practitioners.

The claim remains an allegation from the Minority and would need to be established through the relevant documentary and investigative processes.

Ghana Tourism Authority Also Under Scrutiny

The Minority has expanded its concerns to the Ghana Tourism Authority, arguing that the authority was not an outside party to the arrangements.

The caucus has questioned the relationship between the GTA and TRIBE Culture Fest, a private organisation reportedly involved in aspects of the arrangements.

According to the Minority, investigators should establish the nature of the relationship between the private organisation and the state institutions involved, including how individuals were identified and what authority was used in the visa process.

The Minority is therefore asking that the GTA’s role be fully examined alongside the Sports Ministry and NSA.

Minority Calls for Kofi Adams’ Removal

Assafuah argued that the Sports Minister should be investigated over his knowledge, authorisation and possible role in the arrangements.

The Minority is not merely asking for an investigation. It is demanding that President Mahama remove Kofi Adams from office.

The caucus has similarly called for the removal of GTA CEO Maame Afua Houadjeto pending the outcome of investigations.

The demand is a political position taken by the parliamentary Minority and does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing against either official.

Minority Separates Administrative Accountability From Criminal Liability

The Minority has also stressed that administrative removal and criminal prosecution are separate matters.

Assafuah said officials found to have breached administrative rules should face appropriate sanctions, while anyone found to have committed a criminal offence should be prosecuted through the proper legal process.

“Dismissal is not prosecution. Removal from office is not accountability for criminal conduct,” he said.

That distinction is important because the allegations surrounding the visa arrangements remain subject to investigation.

A demand by a parliamentary caucus for an official’s dismissal does not establish criminal liability, and any criminal responsibility would have to be determined through the appropriate investigative and judicial processes.

President Mahama Previously Asked NSA Chief to Step Aside

The latest demand follows President Mahama’s decision concerning Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.

Ampofo Ankrah was asked to step aside while the police investigate allegations connected to the visa arrangements.

The President subsequently appointed Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong as Acting Director-General of the National Sports Authority.

The Minority had previously called for action against Ampofo Ankrah over the controversy and has now argued that the investigation should be widened.

What Investigators Are Expected to Establish

The ongoing investigation will need to establish the facts behind several questions raised publicly.

These include:

• Who initiated and authorised the visa-facilitation arrangements?
• Which public institutions were formally involved?
• Who prepared and submitted the names of applicants?
• What were the identities and institutional affiliations of those individuals?
• Who collected or received the alleged visa-related payments?
• What services were the payments intended to cover?
• What role did private organisations play?
• Were public institutions’ names or authority used without proper authorisation?
• Did any official knowingly breach administrative or criminal laws?

The answers to those questions will be important in determining whether wrongdoing occurred and, if so, who may bear responsibility.

Government and Officials Have Yet to Face a Final Finding

At this stage, the allegations against Kofi Adams, Maame Afua Houadjeto and other officials should be distinguished from established facts.

The Minority is calling for their dismissal and investigation, but the available reporting does not establish that either official has been found criminally responsible for the alleged visa irregularities.

The investigation is intended to establish what happened and whether any laws or administrative procedures were breached.

The same principle applies to the allegations involving the NSA, GTA, TRIBE Culture Fest and individuals whose names appeared on visa-related lists.

A Wider Question About Ghana’s World Cup Arrangements

The controversy comes after Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the country made arrangements for supporters, officials, media personnel and others connected to the tournament.

The visa controversy has raised questions about how such arrangements were organised and how public institutions interacted with foreign diplomatic missions.

For the government, the ongoing investigation will be important in determining whether established procedures were followed.

For Parliament’s Minority, the issue has become a broader question of institutional oversight and accountability.

The caucus insists that responsibility should not stop with one official if documentary evidence ultimately establishes that several institutions or individuals were involved.

What Happens Next?

The police investigation is expected to determine the facts surrounding the allegations and whether any criminal offences were committed.

The Minority wants the investigation to cover the Sports Ministry, NSA, GTA, TRIBE Culture Fest and other individuals or institutions identified in the documentary trail.

Any official found administratively responsible could face disciplinary action, while anyone found to have committed a criminal offence could face prosecution through the appropriate legal process.

For now, however, the allegations remain under investigation.

The demand for the dismissal of Kofi Adams and Maame Afua Houadjeto marks a significant escalation in the political fallout from the World Cup visa controversy, but the ultimate responsibility of any individual will depend on the evidence produced by the ongoing investigations.