Old Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah has cautioned the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, against shifting responsibility to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over the controversy surrounding Ghana’s visa arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem ahead of the Sports Minister’s press conference, Mr Assafuah argued that the Sports Ministry should take responsibility for verifying the identities and professional details of the people whose names it submitted for visa facilitation.
He said the list reportedly included public service staff and individuals presented as chaplains, raising questions about the checks conducted before the names were forwarded to the Foreign Affairs Minister.
“He is dazed, and he has been exposed from day one. He is now trying to shift responsibility to Okudzeto Ablakwa,” Mr Assafuah said.
According to the MP, the list was submitted to Mr Ablakwa to facilitate visa applications, meaning the Sports Ministry should have ensured that the information provided about the applicants was accurate.
He argued that the Foreign Affairs Minister would not necessarily have been in a position to independently establish whether every person listed was genuinely employed by the institution indicated or held the stated position.
“Ablakwa would not have known whether all the people listed and the portfolios attributed to them were genuine. The Sports Ministry should have done the necessary due diligence before submitting the list,” he said.
Mr Assafuah’s comments come amid growing controversy over allegations that some applicants were presented to foreign diplomatic missions using positions they did not hold as part of arrangements linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The MP maintained that responsibility for verifying the applicants’ details should not be transferred to the Foreign Affairs Ministry simply because it was involved in facilitating the visa process.
The Sports Minister is expected to address the controversy at a press conference.
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