The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Social Investment Fund, Abass Nurudeen, has accused the Minority in Parliament of exploiting the visa controversy surrounding Ghana's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to score political points. He described their approach as "scandalous" and challenged them to produce evidence to support their allegations against the Minister for Sports and Recreation. Nurudeen made these comments on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, October 10.
The dispute follows claims by the Ranking Member on Parliament's Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, that some individuals paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for visa processing linked to World Cup-related activities. The Minority has also questioned the credibility of personnel lists submitted by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) to the US and Canadian embassies.
According to Assafuah, only two of 50 people submitted by the GTA as media personnel were verified as professional media practitioners, while just 15 of 102 names submitted by the NSA were confirmed as actual employees. The Minority has called for accountability, but Nurudeen disputed Assafuah's claims, arguing that the allegations against public officials should be substantiated rather than used to fuel political attacks.
Nurudeen specifically disputed Assafuah's claim that the Sports Ministry sought to use its influence at the US Embassy to secure visas for people allegedly misrepresented as NSA staff. He said the minister's aide had challenged the MP to identify anyone on a list of 90 names submitted on May 19 who had previously been refused a visa and whom the ministry had subsequently tried to assist through its influence.
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has provided its own chronology of engagements, citing correspondence dated January 28, 2026, which it says shows that some arrangements connected to the World Cup fan experience predated its involvement. Nurudeen also cited a chronology of engagements which, he said, indicated that the US Embassy had engaged agencies under the Sports Ministry before formal correspondence on visa processing.
President John Dramani Mahama has asked former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to step aside, with Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong appointed acting Director-General. Nurudeen defended President Mahama's anti-corruption record, saying the President would act on wrongdoing regardless of who was involved. He urged caution as investigations continue, noting that the NSA board had been suspended.
The outcome of the investigations should guide any conclusive assessment of the allegations, according to Nurudeen. He also claimed that subsequent arrangements involved visa processing fees of US$3,000. The claims have not been independently verified.
Key points
- Abass Nurudeen accuses Minority of 'scandal scavenging' over World Cup visa controversy
- Nurudeen challenges Minority to produce evidence to support allegations against Sports Minister
- President Mahama's administration takes steps to address corruption allegations amid World Cup visa scandal
