Ghana World Cup visa claims prompt calls for wider investigation

Allegations that people with no genuine links to Ghanaian state institutions were presented to foreign embassies as official staff while applying for visas to the 2026 FIFA World Cup have triggered demands for a wider investigation. The claims, made by the opposition Minority in Parliament, have not been proved, but they have already led to the suspension of a senior sports official.

Key facts

• President Mahama suspended National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah pending investigations.
• Opposition MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah says the US Embassy's fraud prevention unit found discrepancies involving four applicants.
• The Minority alleges 48 of 50 media slots on a Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) list were sold for between $8,000 and $9,000.
• A June 2025 agreement reportedly set US$3,000 per person for US visas and US$2,000 for Canadian visas.
• About $623,000 in visa facilitation fees is in dispute.

What is alleged?

Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the NPP ranking member on Parliament's Youth and Sports Committee, says some applicants were introduced to foreign embassies as staff or affiliates of state bodies when they were not. He alleges the arrangement was uncovered by the US Embassy's fraud prevention unit, which the Minority says flagged four applicants and asked the NSA to prove their employment.

Separate claims focus on the Ghana Tourism Authority. The Minority says a list of 50 people was submitted to the US Embassy as media personnel, that only two of those slots went to genuine journalists, and that the remaining 48 were allegedly sold for between $8,000 and $9,000.

What about the money and the paperwork?

The allegations form part of a wider dispute over about $623,000 in visa facilitation fees connected to arrangements for supporters and officials travelling to the tournament. The Minority says a June 2025 memorandum of understanding between the NSA and private partner TRIBE Culture Fest priced US visas at US$3,000 per person and Canadian visas at US$2,000, and it has raised questions about alleged individual payments of US$7,000 to US$14,000 for access. It also claims cover letters were drawn up to present outsiders as ministry staff.

What has the government done?

President Mahama suspended the NSA Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, pending investigations. The Minority says that step is not enough and wants investigations covering the Sports Minister, GTA leadership, NSA and ministry officials, and TRIBE Culture Fest. It has called for the Sports Minister's dismissal and prosecution, and for the GTA chief executive's removal and possible prosecution if wrongdoing is established. It also wants disclosure of how many visa applications went through the GTA, how many were granted or refused, and how any opportunities were allocated.

What do the accused say?

The GTA has denied collecting money for visas, and its chief executive, Maame Efua Houadjeto, has rejected claims that she received or authorised payments. The Authority had earlier said it was working with EOCO to clamp down on illegal travel operators exploiting the World Cup to secure visas fraudulently. The allegations come from the opposition, which has a political interest in the outcome, and none has been proved in court.

What this means for travellers

The dispute does not announce any change to visa rules or application procedures for travel to the United States or Canada. Its practical significance is the risk the source describes: misuse of public institution names in visa applications can harm genuine applicants and damage Ghana's standing with foreign embassies. Travellers applying through any state-linked nomination process should keep their own supporting documents and verify who is handling their application.

What happens next

The commentary calls for an independent investigation with published findings, clear rules on how state agencies nominate people for foreign visas, public disclosure of the memorandum of understanding, the submitted lists and the money flows, and due process for everyone named until the facts are established. No timeline for any investigation has been given.