Party wants Minister grilled over visa scandal

Ghana’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) urged Parliament to summon Sports & Recreation Minister Kofi Adams and the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) over alleged visa fraud linked to travel arrangements for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, Modern Ghana notes. NPP director of communications Dennis Miracles Aboagye said Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee should investigate and establish responsibility. A parliamentary inquiry would help assure Ghana’s international partners the alleged fraud was not authorised by the state and anyone found culpable would be held accountable, Aboagye said. He called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide information on its engagements with the US and Canadian embassies and explain steps to protect travellers from possible repercussions. The NPP wanted publication of the memorandum of understanding between the National Sports Authority and Tribe Culture FEST, a supplementary agreement, the agreement between the GTA and the company, lists submitted to the two embassies and a 28 May letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Aboagye urged the government to protect people who paid money to the GTA or the National Sports Authority for visa and travel assistance and to return any recovered funds. He demanded a definite timeframe for investigations and publication of a report once they concluded, warning that investigations which dragged on without clear outcomes could deepen suspicions of efforts to conceal the truth. The demands came amid allegations that more than $600 000 was collected from people seeking help with visa applications and travel arrangements for the tournament.

Full report in Modern Ghana