The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, says he is ready to face a parliamentary investigation into alleged visa irregularities surrounding travel arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting he has nothing to hide.
Mr Adams’ comments follow calls by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Parliament to summon him and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to explain their alleged roles in the matter.
Speaking in an interview with Sammie Wiafe on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 15, the minister said he would not resist any parliamentary inquiry.
“I am a Member of Parliament, and I would not run away from a parliamentary probe if they so desire,” he said.
Mr Adams also rejected claims that his ministry submitted a list identifying individuals as officials of the National Sports Authority (NSA) to facilitate their visa applications.
He described the allegation as false and challenged the NPP to provide evidence to support its claims.
“The Ministry did not submit any list to anybody with any descriptions as officials of NSA. That is a lie the New Patriotic Party have been pushing,” he said.
According to the minister, the information submitted to the relevant embassy through the established process identified the individuals as volunteers and event coordinators, not NSA staff.
“There was an established process of submitting information and data to the embassy, a process that we followed duly, and we submitted a list that was only described as volunteers and event coordinators. It didn’t say they were staff of NSA,” he added.
He further denied claims that the ministry submitted a list to Canadian authorities on behalf of the NSA or provided embassies with descriptions of official positions for the individuals involved.
The minister accused the opposition party of spreading false information for political gain and reiterated his challenge for it to produce evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The NPP has called for Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee to investigate the matter and establish what happened and who was responsible. The party is also demanding a public inquiry, the release of documents relating to the travel arrangements and a clear timeline for the investigations.
Addressing the media on Thursday, October 15, the party’s Director of Communications, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, said both Mr Adams and the GTA chief executive should be summoned to answer questions.
The demands follow allegations that more than US$600,000 was collected from individuals seeking assistance with visa applications and travel arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The allegations have raised calls for greater transparency and accountability over the arrangements, with the NPP insisting that a thorough investigation is needed to establish the facts.
