….But rejects calls for his removal
The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has dismissed calls for his removal over alleged irregularities in visa arrangements for Ghanaian supporters and officials ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that his Ministry was unaware of the process until a letter concerning event coordinators and volunteers was brought to his attention.
While denying personal involvement in the matter, he accused TRIBE Culture Fest of defrauding individuals who paid for assistance to secure visas to travel to the United States for the tournament. He insisted that the company and any government officials found to have been involved must be held accountable.
Mr Adams said the amount at the centre of the allegations was US$623,000, not US$611,000 as previously reported, and maintained that individuals who paid for visa arrangements but were unable to travel were entitled to refunds.
His comments follow a challenge from TRIBE Culture Fest Chief Executive Officer, Nana Boateng Gyimah, who asked the Minister to provide evidence for his claim that people associated with the organization received US$611,000 in connection with visa arrangements for the tournament.
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Mr Adams is also facing calls from the Minority in Parliament for his dismissal and prosecution over alleged involvement in the arrangements, which have come under scrutiny following the suspension of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, by President John Dramani Mahama.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, October 7, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, alleged that some officials facilitated visa applications for people who were not employees of the Ministry.
Mr Assafuah claimed that a cover letter had been prepared to present outsiders as Ministry staff to facilitate their visa applications. The Minority has also called for the dismissal and prosecution of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) over alleged involvement in the arrangements.
However, speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face, yesterday, Tuesday, October 13, Mr Adams said the NSA, the GTA, the United States Embassy and TRIBE Culture Fest had handled the arrangements without the Ministry’s knowledge.
“Well, I don’t see the justification. Both the American Embassy and TRIBE Culture Fest, the NSA, and the GTA were doing their thing behind the Ministry. The Ministry didn’t know,” he said.
Mr Adams said the Ministry would have known about the arrangements if the parties involved had informed it, copied it into their correspondence or formally presented details of their plans.
He identified a letter dated May 19 requesting that the Ministry forward the names of event coordinators and volunteers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy as the first document that brought the matter to his attention.
“The first time I ever sat and had a conversation in relation to that matter was when the May 19 letter requested the forwarding of event coordinators and volunteers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy. That’s when I got to know the details of what was happening,” he said.
He said the letter was forwarded to the Ministry’s Chief Director, who serves on the technical committee overseeing the arrangements.
According to Mr Adams, the committee had agreed that the names of individuals expected to perform specific duties related to the World Cup should be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy to allow preparatory processes to begin.
He maintained that his role was limited to forwarding the letter through the appropriate administrative channels and that he had no knowledge of the alleged financial transactions.
“Government money has not been lost,” he said.
In a statement dated October 12, 2026, Mr Gyimah denied the allegations, saying the company’s agreements were solely with the NSA and the GTA.
He also insisted that neither he nor TRIBE Culture Fest received the alleged amount from private individuals in connection with the arrangements.
However, Mr Adams said reports and petitions submitted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) indicated that the company and some individuals had received money in connection with the visa arrangements.
“They may have been doing a so-called genuine business, but on this occasion and in this particular matter, they have defrauded the people, and they must be held liable for it and all others, including any government official who is found to have involved himself or herself in any way,” he said.
He said the matter came to light after one of the individuals involved petitioned the CID, reporting that people who had paid for visa assistance were demanding refunds after the arrangements failed.
“One of them actually petitioned the CID to indicate that, look, when we return from the World Cup, people are pursuing us. I’ve made some refunds. The rest are refusing to make refunds even after a series of meetings,” he said.
Mr Adams said some refunds had reportedly been made, while others remained outstanding despite a series of meetings, including those held at the AH Hotel.
He stressed that no government funds had been lost, saying the money was allegedly paid by private individuals without the government’s knowledge.
“No government money has been lost. It is individuals who paid this money to them, on the blind side of the government arrangement,” he said.
Mr Adams, however, said the involvement of a government agency in the arrangements warranted further scrutiny.
He explained that the US Embassy had introduced TRIBE Culture Fest to the NSA and the GTA ahead of activities planned around the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the Minister, the NSA’s involvement distinguished the arrangement from transactions handled independently by private companies and warranted the government’s interest in the allegations.
The CID is investigating the alleged visa facilitation scheme, with Mr Adams insisting that anyone found culpable, including public officials, must be held accountable.
The controversy comes amid developments at the NSA, whose Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, was asked to step down from his position about two weeks ago.
Mr Ankrah’s departure came at a time when the NSA was facing scrutiny over several issues, including the visa facilitation arrangements for the 2026 World Cup.
However, there has been no official indication that the visa-related controversy was the reason for the decision, and the circumstances surrounding his exit have not been publicly explained.
The NSA had previously denied allegations concerning a visa facilitation scheme linked to the 2026 World Cup and said its legal team was cooperating with a police investigation.
The development followed President Mahama’s dissolution of the NSA’s governing board on September 2, 2026.
At the time, reports indicated that the dissolution of the board did not affect Mr Ampofo Ankrah’s separate appointment as Director-General and that he remained responsible for the authority’s day-to-day administration.
Following receipt of the communication concerning the board’s dissolution, Mr Ankrah took to Facebook with a brief response, urging calm and indicating that the President’s decision should be respected.
“The President is always right. There is no cause for alarm. Time will always tell. Let’s remain calm,” he wrote.
Mr Ankrah’s departure leaves questions over who will take charge of the NSA and the direction of the authority under new leadership.
Yaw Ampofo Ankrah was appointed Director-General of the NSA by President Mahama on March 13, 2025.
He succeeded Seth Panwum Boyoyo, who had served as NSA Director-General since October 2024. Mr Ampofo Ankrah began his tenure with an engagement with NSA staff at the authority’s head office in Accra on March 14, 2025.
Before his appointment, Mr Ampofo Ankrah was known principally as a sports journalist and sports administrator. He was President of the Ghana Beach Soccer Association, and his experience in beach soccer was cited as one of the factors supporting his appointment.
Under his leadership, Ghana recorded a first-ever back-to-back aggregate victory over Côte d’Ivoire in the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and finished fifth at the 2024 Beach Soccer AFCON in Egypt.
His appointment came with a mandate to strengthen sports administration, promote professionalism and improve the management of Ghana’s sporting infrastructure.
The NSA is responsible for promoting and developing amateur and professional sports, supporting Ghanaian athletes’ participation in competitions and managing sports facilities, among other functions.
