Ranking Member on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has alleged that Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams wrote to the United States Embassy presenting some individuals as staff or affiliates of the National Sports Authority (NSA), despite questions over their actual connection to the authority.
Speaking in an interview with Sporty FM, Assafuah said the matter came to light after the US Embassy subjected names submitted through the Ghanaian authorities to verification.
According to the lawmaker, the embassy raised concerns about some of the individuals whose names had been presented as being connected to the National Sports Authority.
Assafuah alleged that the US Embassy’s checks established that some of the people listed could not be identified as NSA staff or persons affiliated with the authority.
He said the development raises serious questions about the process through which the names were submitted to the embassy and the information contained in the official communication.
The lawmaker explained that the Sports Minister was involved in correspondence with the US Embassy concerning the individuals whose names had been presented as NSA personnel.
Assafuah questioned why people who were allegedly not employees or affiliates of the NSA would be presented to a foreign diplomatic mission as having a connection with the state institution.
He said the issue must be properly investigated because the use of an official government institution’s name in visa-related correspondence could have serious implications.
The allegations form part of the growing controversy surrounding arrangements for Ghanaians seeking to travel to the United States and Canada in connection with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Assafuah stressed that the matter should not be treated as a political disagreement but as an issue requiring proper scrutiny of the documents, names and communications exchanged between the relevant Ghanaian institutions and the US Embassy.
He is calling for the authorities to establish who prepared the list, who approved it, what information was provided to the embassy and whether the individuals listed had any legitimate relationship with the National Sports Authority.
The claims made by Assafuah remain allegations and should be subjected to further investigation. The Sports Ministry and other institutions involved will have the opportunity to respond to the claims and clarify the circumstances surrounding the correspondence.
The controversy has increased calls for greater transparency and accountability in Ghana’s World Cup-related visa arrangements, particularly where public institutions and their official identities are involved.
Credit: Sporty FM
