NewzThe Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Social Investment Fund, Abass Nurudeen, has defended the government’s handling of allegations surrounding Ghana’s visa arrangements for activities linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that President John Dramani Mahama is committed to fighting corruption. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 10, Mr Nurudeen urged the Minority in Parliament to provide evidence to substantiate its allegations against officials of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, rather than making what he described as politically motivated claims. The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, alleged at a press conference on Wednesday, October 7, that some individuals paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for visa processing.
The Minority also questioned the verification of names submitted by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) to the US and Canadian embassies. It claimed that only two of 50 names submitted by the GTA as media personnel were verified as professional media practitioners, while 15 of 102 names submitted by the NSA were confirmed as actual employees. Mr Nurudeen said the allegations should be assessed on the strength of the evidence presented, adding that the suspension of the NSA board and ongoing investigations made it necessary for stakeholders to exercise restraint until the process was concluded.
He disputed Mr Assafuah’s claim that the Sports Minister had allowed the ministry’s influence to be used to facilitate visas for people allegedly misrepresented as NSA staff. According to him, 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 visas and whom the ministry subsequently attempted to assist through its influence at the US Embassy. Mr Nurudeen argued that the Minority had yet to establish how the list supported its demand for the Sports Minister to be held responsible.
He also cited a chronology of engagements which, he said, indicated that the US Embassy had engaged agencies under the Sports Ministry before the ministry’s formal correspondence on visa processing. He further claimed that the embassy had facilitated a meeting involving the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the NSA and the GTA, at which Tribe Culture, described as a subsidiary of … He challenged the Minority to produce evidence to support its allegations against the Minister for Sports and Recreation, arguing that its calls for accountability had not been backed by specific proof of wrongdoing.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 10, Mr Nurudeen criticised the Minority for what he described as an attempt to seize on administrative irregularities, insisting that allegations against public officials should be substantiated rather than used to fuel political attacks. 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.
It alleged that 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. Mr Nurudeen disputed Mr 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.
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