Sports Ministry was unaware of NSA's World Cup visa arrangements, Kofi Adams

Ghana’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, says his ministry was not informed of any visa arrangements between the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the United States Embassy ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His comments come amid controversy over visa arrangements involving the NSA, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and private entity TRIBE Culture Fest, with calls growing for investigations into the roles of the institutions and their officials.

Speaking on TV3, Mr Adams, who is also the Member of Parliament for Buem, said the ministry had no knowledge of any agreement between the NSA and the US Embassy regarding visa acquisition.

“The embassy did not communicate to us where they have reached; the NSA did not communicate to us where they have reached; the NSA did not communicate to us if they had any arrangement with the embassy,” he said.

“Up till this point, we knew that we are still having the engagement and setting the rules and boundaries of operations,” he added.

Mr Adams explained that the visa requirements differed for officials travelling on government business and those travelling with the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

He said GFA personnel would need to apply for B1/B2 visitor visas, while employees of the NSA and GTA travelling on official government business would require diplomatic visas.

“NSA and GTA are governmental agencies; this is important because travellers who work for the GFA will need to apply for visitor B1/B2 visas, whereas employees of the NSA and GTA who are travelling on official government business will need to apply for diplomatic visas,” he said.

The minister acknowledged that the NSA had engaged with the US Embassy but maintained that the discussions were not related to visa acquisition.

“Yes, the NSA were having their own engagement with the embassy but not in relation to the issuance of visas; those engagements were outside of the visa acquisition,” he added.

The controversy has raised questions about the submission of names to foreign diplomatic missions and the involvement of state agencies and private organisations in facilitating travel linked to the 2026 World Cup.

The Minority in Parliament has called for a broader investigation, arguing that accountability should extend beyond former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, who was suspended and later dismissed amid the controversy.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service has launched an investigation into the allegations.