The call was made at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to ask the Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, to step aside while police investigate the allegations.
The Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee, Mr Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who addressed the media, said the President’s action should mark the beginning of a broader accountability process rather than its conclusion.
“The dismissal of Yaw Ampofo Ankrah does not, by itself, resolve the issues before us.
Accountability cannot and does not end with one individual,” he said.
The Minority said documents in its possession indicated the involvement of the National Sports Authority, the Ghana Tourism Authority, TRIBE Culture Fest and officials within the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
It alleged that persons who were not employees or affiliates of public institutions were presented as such in dealings with foreign diplomatic missions.
It also raised questions about alleged payments of between US$7,000 and US$14,000 by individuals seeking access to the visa arrangements, and called for investigations into the roles of the Sports Minister, the leadership of the tourism authority, officials of the sports authority and TRIBE Culture Fest.
Mr Assafuah said officials found administratively culpable should be sanctioned, while anyone found to have committed a criminal offence must face prosecution.
“Dismissal is not prosecution. Removal from office is not accountability for criminal conduct.
Where there is evidence of a crime, the appropriate law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities must pursue the matter,” he said.
The Minority said the matter went beyond ordinary visa applications, describing it as one involving the alleged use of the names, authority and credibility of Ghanaian public institutions in dealings with foreign diplomatic missions.
It said positions were attributed to individuals which, according to institutional records, did not exist within the organisational structure of the National Sports Authority.
Mr Assafuah said the Fraud Prevention Unit of the United States Embassy identified discrepancies involving four applicants and sought evidence establishing their employment with the National Sports Authority.
He added that the Canadian Embassy subsequently requested clarification of the employment rules and reasons for travel of persons described as affiliated with the sports authority.
