Ghana’s Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has rejected demands for his dismissal and prosecution over alleged irregularities in visa arrangements for supporters and officials ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Buem MP said his Ministry was not involved in the process, which is under scrutiny following the suspension of National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.
The Minority in Parliament has called for Mr Adams to be removed, alleging that he was involved in arrangements to support visa applications for people who were not employees of the Sports Ministry.
At a press conference in Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Sports Committee, claimed that a cover letter had been prepared to identify outsiders as Ministry staff for the purposes of their applications.
The Minority has also demanded the dismissal and prosecution of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) chief executive over alleged involvement in the arrangements.
Mr Adams told Citi News that the NSA, GTA, US Embassy and TRIBE Culture Fest had managed the process without informing his Ministry.
“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.
He added that the Ministry would have known about the arrangements if those involved had informed it, copied it into correspondence or formally submitted details of their plans.
Mr Adams said he first became aware of the matter after receiving a letter dated 19 May, which asked the Ministry to forward the names of event coordinators and volunteers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy.
“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.
The minister explained that the letter was passed to the Ministry’s Chief Director, who is a member of the technical committee responsible for overseeing the arrangements.
According to Mr Adams, the committee had agreed that the names of people due to carry out specific duties during the World Cup should be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy so that preparatory work could begin.
He said his own involvement was restricted to forwarding the letter through the proper administrative channels.
Mr Adams also denied having any knowledge of the alleged financial transactions connected with the visa arrangements.
“Government money has not been lost,” he said.