General News of 2026-10-15
Old Tafo MP Vincent Assafuah petitions CHRAJ, OSP, Mahama over 2026 World Cup visa scandal
Old Tafo Member of Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah has called for independent investigations into alleged irregularities surrounding visa facilitation arrangements, beneficiary selection and financial transactions involving the National Sports Authority (NSA), Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and other entities connected to Ghana’s activities around the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Assafuah is seeking investigations by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), while separately urging President John Dramani Mahama to establish a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the arrangements.
The petitions raise questions about reported visa facilitation charges of up to US$3,000 per person, discrepancies in lists of persons presented as NSA personnel, the allocation of 400 United States and 800 Canadian visa-related opportunities through the GTA, and payments allegedly collected from individuals under an arrangement involving the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF).
Assafuah, however, has stressed that the allegations should not be treated as established wrongdoing, insisting that the relevant institutions and individuals must be given the opportunity to account for their actions through an independent, evidence-based process.
“I do not ask the Commission to treat allegations as established findings. I ask it to investigate the relevant records, require explanations from the appropriate public institutions, and determine whether corruption, abuse of power, administrative injustice or other misconduct within its mandate has occurred,” he stated in his petition to CHRAJ.
NSA, TRIBE visa arrangements under scrutiny
A major issue raised in the petitions concerns an arrangement between the NSA and TRIBE Culture Fest, supported by a Memorandum of Understanding dated June 2, 2025, and supplementary arrangements dated January 19, 2026.
According to the documents cited by Assafuah, the supplementary arrangements specified charges of US$3,000 per person for United States visa facilitation and US$2,000 per person for Canadian visa facilitation.
The MP wants investigators to establish the purpose of the charges, the services covered, the authority under which the financial terms were approved and the amounts actually invoiced, received, paid or refunded.
He is also asking investigators to trace the movement of funds and determine whether the amounts collected corresponded with the services provided and any payments made to the relevant diplomatic missions.
The petition further raises questions about the use of NSA facilities under the arrangement and the meaning of “NSA Personnel” in the relevant documentation.
Assafuah argues that the existence of a contractual agreement does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing, but says the agreements and associated financial records should be examined to determine whether the arrangements were properly authorised and implemented.
102 names submitted, 15 reportedly verified
Another key concern relates to the identification and verification of individuals presented as NSA personnel, volunteers or event coordinators.
The petition to the OSP states that correspondence from the NSA’s Chief Operating Officer, Yaw Gyamfi Kusi Awere, dated January 28, 2026, transmitted a list of 22 proposed personnel.
It further states that, on March 18, 2026, the NSA wrote to the United States Embassy certifying four individuals — Ralph Egyir Quainoo, Belinda Tsey, Francis Frimpong Agyemang and Beryl Joycelyn Baabe Duut — as bona fide NSA World Cup Fun Fest/TRIBE staff.
According to the petition, the United States Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit subsequently requested employment letters as part of its verification process.
The concerns extend to subsequent correspondence and beneficiary lists. A letter dated May 28, 2026, from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation reportedly referred to 90 persons described as NSA volunteers or event coordinators.
A further list dated June 8, 2026, reportedly contained 102 names and was submitted to the Canadian Embassy.
Assafuah says that, based on the records he examined, only 15 of the 102 individuals could be verified as NSA personnel, leaving 87 whose status could not be established from those records.
The figures represent a verification discrepancy, not proof that the 87 individuals were fictitious or ineligible.
The MP wants investigators to obtain the original lists, employment and engagement records, supporting documents and correspondence to establish the identities, institutional affiliations and eligibility of all the individuals included.
He also wants investigators to determine who compiled, approved and transmitted the lists, what verification procedures were followed and whether the information supplied to the diplomatic missions was accurate.
GTA’s 400 US, 800 Canadian allocations questioned
The GTA’s reported allocation of 400 United States and 800 Canadian visa-related opportunities also features prominently in the petitions.
Assafuah wants investigators to establish the basis for the allocations, the criteria used to select beneficiaries, the approvals obtained and the institutional purposes for which the opportunities were intended.
He is also seeking scrutiny of sponsorship proceeds, related expenditure and the financial controls governing the initiative.
The petition cites a reported development in July 2026, when 14 GTA regional directors allegedly petitioned the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Maame Efua Houadjeto, seeking information about the allocation of the 400 World Cup-related slots and the utilisation of sponsorship proceeds.
Assafuah says the petition by the regional directors does not establish criminal wrongdoing but raises questions about access to information, internal accountability and the adequacy of management’s explanations.
He wants investigators to obtain the regional directors’ petition, any response from management, allocation schedules, beneficiary lists, financial statements, supporting vouchers and internal audit reports.
The MP is also asking for scrutiny of a reported GTA media-beneficiary list containing approximately 50 names. The petition identifies media personalities Philip Narh and Andy Dosty as individuals associated with Multimedia, while calling for the eligibility and professional affiliations of beneficiaries to be verified against the original records.
Separately, the petition raises questions about reported GTA research expenditure of approximately US$13,000, including a reported commitment of US$3,000. Assafuah wants the underlying contracts, invoices, payment records and deliverables examined to establish the precise amounts committed and paid, the work commissioned, and whether the expenditure was properly authorised.
The reported purchase of 300 World Cup tickets on March 7, 2026, is another issue he wants investigated. The petition says the purchase reportedly covered 100 tickets for each of Ghana’s three group-stage matches, with four tickets said to remain as of May 3, 2026.
Investigators are being asked to establish the source of the funds, the purchase price, the authorisation for the transaction, how the tickets were distributed and used, and what happened to the four reportedly unused tickets.
GH¢2,250 payments under investigation
The petitions also raise questions about an arrangement involving GHATOF, in which an allocation initially understood to comprise four slots was reportedly expanded to 20.
According to Assafuah, information available to him suggests that individuals were charged approximately GH¢2,250 each in connection with the expanded allocation.
He alleges that questions have arisen over whether the relevant visa fees were paid to the appropriate authorities and whether money collected from applicants was refunded where the promised services were not provided.
The MP wants investigators to examine receipts, bank and mobile money records, payment instructions, correspondence and statements from affected applicants to determine how much was collected, who received the money and how it was used.
The petition also refers to concerns reportedly raised by the GHATOF president about the inclusion of individuals alleged not to be genuine affiliates or staff of the GTA.
A list of approximately 50 individuals, including about 30 people described as members of an Ahwele or Ashawele dancing group, is also mentioned in the documents. Assafuah wants the identities, affiliations and eligibility of those individuals independently verified.
He is asking investigators to establish who selected the beneficiaries, what criteria were applied, whether the relevant payments were properly accounted for and whether any refunds remain outstanding.
The allegations concerning the payments and beneficiary selection have not, in the material provided, been established through an independent investigation.
Assafuah wants OSP to trace financial transactions
In his petition to the OSP, the Old Tafo MP argues that the concerns go beyond administrative errors and require investigators to examine whether any transactions involved corruption, dishonest handling of money or the improper use of public office.
He wants the OSP to reconstruct the financial trail associated with the arrangements, identifying the persons who initiated transactions, the accounts through which funds passed, the purposes of payments, the amounts paid for services and any sums retained by institutions or intermediaries.
The investigation, as proposed by Assafuah, should also establish whether any public officer or associated individual received a commission, fee, gift or other benefit linked to the allocation of opportunities, certification of personnel or visa facilitation.
The MP has specifically asked the OSP to consider whether the evidence warrants investigation under section 179C of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which concerns the use of public office for profit.
He has not asserted that the alleged discrepancies automatically amount to criminal offences. Rather, he wants the OSP to assess the evidence against the relevant legal requirements and determine whether any individual or entity should face further investigation or prosecution.
The petition also calls for the preservation of relevant documents, interviews with public officers and private intermediaries, and appropriate steps to recover suspected proceeds of crime where the legal requirements are met.
Mahama urged to establish Presidential Commission
Beyond the requests for investigations by CHRAJ and the OSP, Assafuah has petitioned President Mahama to establish a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the management, financing, visa facilitation arrangements and institutional oversight surrounding Ghana’s activities connected to the 2026 World Cup.
He is invoking Article 278(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, which provides for the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry by the President, by constitutional instrument, into a matter of public interest where the constitutional requirements are satisfied.
The proposed inquiry would examine the roles of the NSA, GTA, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, the ministry responsible for tourism, culture and creative arts, GHATOF, TRIBE Culture Fest and other persons or entities whose involvement may be established.
Assafuah wants the commission to investigate the relevant contracts, financial transactions, beneficiary lists, ticket purchases, sponsorship proceeds and official representations made in connection with the arrangements.
He is also seeking an examination of the oversight responsibilities of the relevant ministers, the GTA Board and management, and the officials responsible for approving and transmitting beneficiary lists.
The MP cites Ghana’s 2014 Dzamefe Commission, established after the Black Stars’ participation in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as a precedent for an independent inquiry into matters arising from the country’s involvement in the tournament.
The Dzamefe Commission examined issues surrounding the preparation and management of the national team, the treatment of Ghanaian supporters sent to Brazil and the financing of national teams, among other matters of public interest.
Assafuah argues that the reported concerns surrounding the 2026 arrangements similarly justify an independent examination, although the issues in the current petitions centre on visa facilitation, beneficiary selection, financial transactions and institutional accountability.
MP calls for accountability without prejudging allegations
Across the three petitions, Assafuah is asking the relevant authorities to establish individual and institutional responsibility, identify weaknesses in administrative and financial controls, recommend corrective measures and refer evidence of suspected criminal conduct to the appropriate authorities.
He maintains that the investigation should distinguish between administrative errors, contractual disputes, failures of supervision and conduct that may constitute corruption or another offence.
The petitions also call for the relevant institutions to preserve and produce records, explain their decisions and account for the handling of money and the selection of beneficiaries.
Assafuah says the objective is to establish the facts rather than secure a predetermined finding against any individual or institution.
“If the arrangements were properly authorised and implemented, an independent investigation should help establish that fact. If the evidence instead reveals corruption, dishonesty, abuse of office or other unlawful conduct, the responsible persons should be held accountable in accordance with the law,” he stated in his petition to the OSP.
The petitions place the conduct of the public institutions and their associated private entities under scrutiny, but the allegations remain subject to verification.
The documents provided do not establish that CHRAJ, the OSP or the Presidency has accepted the petitions, opened an investigation or reached any findings.
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