President John Dramani Mahama removed Yaw Ampofo Ankrah as Director-General of Ghana’s National Sports Authority (NSA) on 1 October 2026. Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong was appointed Acting Director-General the same day.
The change ends Ankrah’s roughly 18-month tenure and follows weeks of parliamentary and police scrutiny over an alleged visa-facilitation arrangement linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Ankrah’s exit comes less than a month after Mahama dissolved the NSA’s 15-member governing board on 2 September 2026, along with boards of other state institutions, citing governance reforms and public concern over the condition of major venues such as the Accra and Baba Yara stadia. The dissolved board had been inaugurated in December 2025. Ankrah, who sat on that board, continued to run day-to-day operations until his own removal.
After the decision, Ankrah posted briefly on Facebook: “The president is always right. There’s no cause for alarm. Time will tell. Let’s remain calm and keep pushing for the reset.”
Background of the former Director-General
Yaw Ampofo Ankrah (also known as Richard Yaw Ampofo Ankrah or King Yaw Ampofo) is a BBC-trained Ghanaian sports journalist, broadcaster and administrator. He anchored the BBC’s Fast Track sports programme between 2002 and 2005, and his work has appeared on outlets including CNN, ESPN, Sky Sports and Al Jazeera.
He has covered World Cups, Olympic Games and major boxing events, and has interviewed figures such as David Beckham, Didier Drogba, Usain Bolt and Lennox Lewis. He studied at the Ghana Institute of Journalism and holds a degree in Humanities and Media from Birkbeck, University of London.
He is credited as founder and first president of the Ghana Beach Soccer Association and has served on the Ghana Sports Fund Board. President Mahama appointed him NSA Director-General around March 2025. His mandate covered stadium maintenance, sports promotion, branding and grassroots development.
The alleged visa scheme
Allegations surfaced publicly in mid-September 2026. The Minority in Parliament, led by Vincent Ekow Assafuah (Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee and MP for Old Tafo), claimed that more than US$600,000—figures cited in reports range from about US$600,000 to US$623,000—was collected from people seeking help with visas and travel to the World Cup.
The caucus alleged that some applicants were charged as much as US$8,000 each, that promotional materials appeared at NSA offices and stadium premises, and that a private entity, TRIBE FEST, operated with apparent NSA support, including use of office space on NSA premises.
Assafuah further alleged that some travellers were presented to embassies as NSA staff to ease visa processing, that Canadian authorities issued some visas while U.S. officials sought confirmation from the Sports Ministry, and that partial refunds had been made by at least one person under CID scrutiny.
He said a petition had been submitted to the CID Director-General and that Ankrah and some NSA staff had been questioned. The Minority called on the President either to dismiss Ankrah immediately or to require him to step aside pending the investigation, while stating it was not declaring anyone guilty before facts were established.
On 15 September the NSA issued a statement rejecting the claims. It said the Authority “has not engaged in, sanctioned or authorised any visa-related activities of the kind alleged,” had not set up an office at any stadium to collect money or process visas, and had not authorised TRIBE FEST, any employee or any other person to collect funds for visa procurement on its behalf.
The Authority described TRIBE FEST as a FIFA-licensed partner that collaborated with the NSA, the Ghana Tourism Authority and others on fan-experience activities, World Cup viewing events and event mobilisation only. It said it was aware of reports of a CID petition, would cooperate fully with any lawful police investigation, and that the Director-General and other officers would assist if invited.
A follow-up statement on 18 September reiterated that Ankrah had given no media interviews on what it called false allegations and urged the public to treat “reckless news” with contempt.
Reports indicate Ankrah appeared before the CID and denied the allegations. The investigation is expected to examine whether money was collected, who received it, what representations were made to payers, whether services were delivered, and whether any public official or institution authorised the activity.
Wider political and institutional context
The Minority’s demand intensified after Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams appeared before the Youth and Sports Committee on 17 September. Opposition MPs said they were unsatisfied with the responses on the visa matter and related issues. After Ankrah’s removal, Assafuah argued on social media that the change alone did not resolve the underlying questions and that “the buck ultimately stops with the Minister,” calling for Adams also to be removed.