A member of the Communications team of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Fiifi Boafo, has called on government to act decisively to clear perceptions that the alleged World Cup visa scandal is a state-sponsored racketeering activity.
He says Ghana’s international reputation has suffered huge damage as a result of the scandal.
His comments come on the back of allegations that some Ghanaians who sought to travel for the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the US, Mexico and Canada were charged between $8,000 and $9,000 under arrangements involving the National Sports Authority (NSA), Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and private partner TRIBE Culture Fest, despite an official agreement of $3,000 for US visas and $2,000 for Canada.
The Minority in Parliament has alleged that only 15 of 102 names submitted to the Canadian Embassy as NSA staff could be verified, with about $623,000 allegedly collected in facilitation fees.
Speaking on The KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, October 10, 2026, Fiifi Boafo said the scandal has gone beyond mere allegations of extortion to raise questions about the integrity of state institutions.
He noted that victims have already come out to allege that monies were demanded from them under the guise of visa facilitation for the 2026 World Cup.
“People have come out to say that they demanded money from them,” he said.
According to him, there are serious inconsistencies between the official fees approved for the process and the amounts allegedly collected from applicants.
He said the committee referenced by the Minister had set $3,000 for US visa processing and $2,000 for Canadian visa processing, yet applicants were charged far higher amounts.
“The committee the Minister talks about, they said were supposed to pay $3,000 for the US visa and $2,000 for the Canadian visa. So where came from the $9,000? The $10,000 where did that come from?” he questioned.
Boafo said the least government can do is to act in a manner that restores confidence and repairs the damage done to the country’s image.
“A huge damage has been done to our image as a country. The least expected is for the President and government to act in a manner that will give everybody a clear indication that this is not a State-sponsored racketeering activity, so that the image of our country will be repaired. Our country’s reputation is at stake,” he stated.
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has said there is “still no evidence” that Sports Minister Kofi Adams “collected US$8,000, US$9,000 or US$10,000 from any applicant”, while GTA CEO, Maame Efua Houadjeto, has also denied personal involvement in the sale of visas.
Investigations are ongoing, with the Ministry urging affected applicants to submit receipts, bank statements and MoMo records to the CID.
World Cup visa scandal worst Ghana has ever experienced – Fiifi Boafo
