$14,000 Payments, Fake Titles: New details emerge in GTA-NSA visa scandal

A widening controversy over Ghana’s visa arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has raised questions about how the names of applicants were submitted by state institutions, with the Minority in Parliament alleging payments of up to US$14,000, unverified personnel and job titles that allegedly did not exist.

The allegations involve the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and National Sports Authority (NSA), with the Minority demanding a broader investigation into the processes used to secure visa opportunities linked to Ghana’s participation in activities surrounding the tournament.

At a press conference on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, alleged that some individuals paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for visa processing.

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He also alleged that two individuals identified as Chase and Diesel were involved in collecting payments and processing visas.

“Our investigation also raises questions concerning allegations that individuals who were not GTA staff were being offered, or processed, under these arrangements, at fees reportedly ranging from $7,000 to $14,000 per person,” he said.

Assafuah said the Minority also wanted an explanation for why people outside the GTA were allegedly given access to visa opportunities associated with the Authority.

“If these allegations are accurate, the CEO of the GTA must explain to taxpayers why individuals outside the Ghana Tourism Authority were allegedly being processed or offered access to visa opportunities associated with allocations intended for the authority’s World Cup-related activities.”

The controversy deepened after the Minority alleged that only two of 50 names submitted by the GTA to the US Embassy as media personnel were verified as professional media practitioners.

“Of the 50 names submitted, only two persons, Philip Narh and Andy Dosty of Multimedia, both associated with Multimedia, were identified as media practitioners,” Assafuah said.

The remaining 48, he alleged, could not be verified as media practitioners.

The Minority has also questioned how the GTA’s visa allocations were ultimately used, claiming the Authority’s CEO was allocated 400 US visa slots and another 600 by Canada.

“If these allocations are accurate, which I believe they are accurate, the public is entitled to know how many visas were ultimately issued, how many applications were rejected and how the allocated slots were utilized,” he said.

The allegations extend to the NSA, where the Minority claims only 15 of 102 names submitted to the Canadian Embassy as NSA personnel or affiliates were verified as actual NSA employees, leaving 87 unverified.

According to the Minority, some of those names were also assigned positions that did not exist within the NSA’s organisational structure.

Among the positions questioned were Operations Coordinator, Business Administrator, World Cup Coordinator and Research and Technology Officer. The Minority said the US Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit raised concerns about four applicants and requested documentation to establish their employment with the NSA.

Assafuah questioned who was responsible for creating and approving the alleged positions.

“So who were the other 87? Why were they on an NSA list? Why were portfolios created for them? Who prepared those portfolios? Who approved them? Who paid for their processing?”

The Minority’s allegations come amid an ongoing investigation into the visa arrangements. President John Dramani Mahama has already asked former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to step aside, with Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong appointed acting Director-General.

The NSA has denied involvement in an alleged visa facilitation scheme and said it is cooperating with the police investigation.

The Minority is now calling for the roles of officials and institutions involved to be fully investigated, with Assafuah insisting that any criminal conduct established through the probe should lead to prosecution.

FKA/AM

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