NPP demands Sports Minister’s resignation over visa controversy

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the resignation of the Minister for Youth and Sports over allegations of irregularities in arrangements for Ghanaian personnel linked to activities surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The party’s National Youth Organiser, Abanga Fuseini Yakubu, made the demand at a press conference on Thursday, October 29, 2026, linking the controversy to the resignation of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Chief Executive Officer, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.

Mr Yakubu argued that the circumstances surrounding Mr Ampofo Ankrah’s departure warranted similar action by the minister.

“To the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the minister must also resign. The visa scandal, the facilitation that led to the resignation of Mr Ampofo, the Chief Executive Officer for the National Sports Authority, confirmed that there were indeed scandals, and we require the minister to also resign,” he said.

The controversy centres on allegations of payments of up to US$14,000, questions about the identities of personnel submitted for visa processing and the use of job titles that allegedly did not exist.

The Minority in Parliament has also raised concerns about lists of personnel submitted to foreign diplomatic missions in connection with Ghana’s participation in activities surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to the Minority, only two of the 50 names submitted by the Ghana Tourism Authority to the United States Embassy as media personnel were verified as professional media practitioners.

It further alleged that only 15 of the 102 names submitted by the NSA to the Canadian Embassy were verified as actual employees of the authority.

These claims have been cited in the wider debate over the selection and documentation of personnel for World Cup-related activities.

President John Dramani Mahama asked Mr Ampofo Ankrah to step aside amid the controversy. Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong was subsequently appointed acting Director-General of the NSA.

The NPP is now extending its demand for accountability to the minister responsible for the sector.

The minister had not publicly responded to the party’s call for his resignation at the time of the press conference.

The NPP’s demand adds to the political pressure on the government to address the allegations surrounding the visa arrangements.

The key issues include the verification of personnel submitted for visa processing, the basis for any payments reportedly made and whether any public officials breached applicable procedures.