News:
October 7, 2026
The Minority in Parliament has commended President John Dramani Mahama for acting swiftly in removing Yaw Ampofo Ankrah as Director-General of the Ghana Sports Council, describing the decision as a responsive step in the face of serious questions surrounding the alleged World Cup visa arrangements.
Addressing the media in Accra, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, speaking on behalf of the Minority, said the caucus had raised the call for the Director-General’s removal because it believed accountability could not be achieved while he remained at the helm of the institution’s affairs. “We raised that call because we believed that in the face of the serious questions surrounding the alleged World Cup visa arrangements, there was a need for accountability and for the investigation to proceed without the continued presence of the Director General at the helm of affairs at the institution as well as the Minister for Sports,” he stated.
The Minority acknowledged that the President had acted on their call. “The President has acted,” Assafuah said, welcoming the dismissal as a recognition of the gravity of the allegations and the need to protect the integrity of any ensuing investigation.
However, the Minority was quick to caution that the removal of a single official does not bring the matter to a close. “Let me be clear, however, that this measure of Yaw Ampofo Ankrah does not by itself resolve the issues before us. Accountability cannot and does not end with one individual,” Assafuah emphasised.
According to the Minority, the documents and records in its possession point to a chain of institutional involvement that extends well beyond the former Director-General of the National Sports Authority. “The documents and records in our possession point to a chain of institutional involvement extending beyond the former Director General of the National Sports Authority,” he said.
Assafuah indicated that serious questions remain about the conduct of the National Sports Authority, the Ghana Tourism Authority, Tribe Culture Fest, and officials within the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, all of whom, he said, are implicated by the documentary evidence.
The Minority therefore maintained that the President’s swift action, while commendable, must be followed by a full and independent investigation into the roles of all institutions and individuals implicated. “We welcome the President’s decision to remove Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, but the country cannot stop there,” Assafuah concluded, reiterating calls for the dismissal of the Minister for Sports and Recreation and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, and for prosecution where evidence of criminal conduct is established.
Ghanamps.com