The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded that the Minister for Youth and Sports step down following accusations of irregularities in the visa arrangements for Ghanaian personnel involved in 2026 FIFA World Cup activities. The call was made by the party’s National Youth Organiser, Abanga Fuseini Yakubu, at a press conference on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
Mr Yakubu linked the controversy to the resignation of Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Authority (NSA), arguing that the circumstances surrounding Mr Ankrah’s departure warranted similar action against 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 allegations centre on 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 raised concerns about the lists of personnel sent to foreign diplomatic missions for World Cup-related activities. 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, and only 15 of the 102 names submitted by the NSA to the Canadian Embassy were verified as actual employees of the authority.
President John Dramani Mahama asked Mr Ankrah to step aside amid the controversy, and Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong was appointed acting Director‑General of the NSA. The NPP’s demand adds to the political pressure on the government to address the allegations surrounding the visa arrangements, which include questions about personnel verification, the basis for payments, and potential breaches of procedure by public officials.
The minister has not publicly responded to the party’s call for his resignation at the time of the press conference.
