Ghana’s alleged World Cup visa facilitation scandal has widened, with questions over the identities of prospective travellers presented to foreign embassies, payments allegedly collected from applicants and public expenditure on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The controversy centres on allegations that more than US$623,000 was collected from people seeking visa and travel assistance to the United States and Canada.
Questions have also emerged over lists of purported National Sports Authority (NSA) personnel, media practitioners and Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) board members or affiliates submitted to the embassies.
The suspension of NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has intensified calls for accountability.
The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has raised fresh concerns about a document reportedly presented to the US Embassy identifying more than 30 people as GTA board members or affiliates.
He has called for the suspension of GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Sekyi-Aidoo Houadjeto pending investigations. Meanwhile, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service are reportedly investigating aspects of the alleged arrangement.
Mr Ankrah, Sports Minister Kofi Adams and Ms Houadjeto have denied collecting money from people to secure visas.
The allegations remain unproven, and responsibility must be established through evidence and due process.
Assafuah questions GTA board list
Mr Assafuah questioned why a document he said was submitted to the US Embassy contained more than 30 names described as GTA board members or affiliates when, according to his account, the board comprised about 11 members.
He cited Gertrude Emefa Donkor, a former board chairperson whom he said moved to the Ghana Gold Board and was replaced by Phyllis Engmann.
He also mentioned Samuel Seth Passah, whom he identified as a representative of the Ministry of Local Government, Yusif Issaka Jajah and the GTA chief executive among those associated with the board.
The MP questioned whether everyone listed had legitimate institutional links to the authority and how their names came to be presented to the embassy.
He also referred to an unnamed individual who allegedly indicated in a WhatsApp exchange that a visa had been obtained on the basis of being a GTA board member, despite supposedly not serving on the board.
The original submission, official board records and responses from those concerned will be necessary to determine whether discrepancies arose from administrative errors or deliberate misrepresentation.
NSA and media lists under scrutiny
Separate allegations concern lists of prospective travellers presented to the US and Canadian embassies as NSA personnel and media practitioners.
According to information cited in connection with the controversy, 22 people were presented to the US Embassy on January 28, 2026, as NSA personnel.
Verification reportedly identified discrepancies in job titles, including Board Secretary, Northern Region Coordinator and Procurement Officer.
In March, the embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit reportedly flagged four applicants and requested proof of employment.
The Canadian Embassy subsequently sought clarification on a separate list of 102 people submitted in June 2026.
The account claims that only 15 could be verified as NSA staff.
Another list reportedly presented 50 people as media personnel to the US Embassy, but allegedly verification could not identify many of them as known media practitioners.
The reported discrepancies raise questions about who compiled and authenticated the lists and what documentation supported the applicants’ institutional affiliations.
However, discrepancies alone do not establish that an applicant knowingly supplied false information or committed an offence.
Documented costs versus alleged payments
TRIBE was expected to facilitate visa processing, accommodation and logistics at a documented cost of US$3,000 per person for US visas and US$2,000 for Canadian visas.
However, allegations indicate that some applicants paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000, while other accounts cite amounts ranging from US$4,000 to US$25,000.
The NSA was reportedly seeking visas for 90 people described as volunteers or event coordinators.
According to the account, some paid between US$4,000 and US$10,000, while applicants seeking visas for both countries were charged US$15,000.
The varying figures require investigators to establish what each payment covered, who received the money, what services were delivered and whether additional costs were involved.
The difference between documented costs and reported payments does not, by itself, establish that the money was improperly obtained or that a particular individual benefited.
Visa assistance also does not guarantee approval, which remains the decision of the relevant foreign authorities.
Awere petition alleges payment channel
The CID is reportedly examining a petition submitted on September 8, 2026, by NSA Chief Operations Officer Nana Gyamfi Awere concerning money allegedly collected from prospective travellers.
According to the account attributed to the petition, Mr Awere alleged that, following a meeting at the US Embassy, Mr Ankrah introduced him to Nana Boateng Gyimah, identified as Chief Executive Officer of Tribe Culture Fest.
Awere allegedly said Mr Ankrah told him that Mr Gyimah could facilitate visas for people, including NSA staff, seeking to attend the World Cup in the United States and Canada.
He further alleged that Mr Ankrah directed prospective travellers to pay him, after which he forwarded the money to Mr Gyimah. The petition reportedly claims that Mr Awere and Mr Ankrah each received US$56,000 in commissions.
These allegations have not been established as findings by an investigative body or a court.
Mr Ankrah has denied collecting money to secure visas, and the claims require corroboration through financial records, communications and witness statements.
The COO’s office was not provided for in the NSA’s organisational structure.
The NSA has maintained that it did not authorise a visa facilitation service or establish an office to collect money from members of the public seeking to travel to the tournament.
The BNI is reportedly investigating Mr Ankrah, while he and others connected to the matter have reportedly appeared before the CID.
Investigators are expected to establish the amounts collected, the recipients, the services provided and whether any laws were breached.
Assafuah challenges sports ministry’s timeline
Mr Assafuah has also questioned the Ministry of Sports’ account of when it first engaged the US Embassy over World Cup-related activities.
He cited an email dated February 3, 2026, which he said was sent by Rukmini Kukuaa Coffie, a Public Engagement Specialist in the embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section under its Emerging Voices programme.
The correspondence could help establish the timeline of engagements, although its significance depends on its contents and whether it related directly to the visa arrangement.
Mr Assafuah said the Minority initially demanded the removal of the Sports Minister and NSA Director-General but extended its demand to include the GTA chief executive after reviewing what he described as evidence concerning the embassy list.
Whether any of the officials played a role in preparing, approving or transmitting the disputed lists remains to be established.
A suspension is an administrative measure, not a determination of criminal responsibility.
GH¢58M world cup expenditure questioned
The controversy has coincided with demands for transparency over public spending on Ghana’s participation in the tournament.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has demanded a detailed, line-by-line account of how the GH¢58 million allocated by the government was spent.
Ghana reportedly spent US$1.26 million to secure 2,922 match tickets for supporters, averaging approximately US$431 per ticket.
The allocation comprised 948 tickets for the Panama match, 1,000 for England and 974 for Croatia.
A comprehensive account would need to cover tickets, travel, accommodation, logistics and other approved costs, supported by receipts, contracts and payment records.
Public expenditure must also be distinguished from money allegedly collected from individuals seeking visa assistance unless evidence establishes a direct connection.
Transparency key to resolution
The scandal raises fundamental questions about who compiled the embassy lists, whether applicants’ affiliations were accurately represented, how much money was collected and who received it.
Investigators must also establish the relationship between the NSA and TRIBE, the authority for the facilitation arrangement and whether officials or intermediaries collected payments without proper authorisation.
A credible resolution requires investigators to trace the money, examine original documents, establish individual roles and give those named a fair opportunity to respond.
Until the evidence is assessed, the allegations must remain distinct from proven wrongdoing, with accountability determined by the facts and the law.
