The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of secretly allocating travel slots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament and party supporters while refusing to account to Parliament on Ghana’s preparations for the tournament.
Addressing a press briefing, Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Hon Habib Iddrisu, raised concerns over what he described as a lack of transparency in the government’s handling of travel arrangements and sponsorships related to the World Cup.
According to him, information available to the Minority suggests that each NDC Member of Parliament has been allocated two slots, while every NDC constituency has been given three additional slots to facilitate visa applications for supporters seeking to travel to the tournament.
Hon. Iddrisu questioned the source of funding for the visa application process and demanded answers from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“How many people have they sponsored to go to the embassy?” he asked. “The visa fee we know is about 185 dollars per person. Where is that money coming from? The minister and government need to answer and respond to some of these questions.”
The MP further criticised the Sports Ministry for allegedly avoiding parliamentary scrutiny and failing to provide updates on Ghana’s preparations for the World Cup.
“Why is the government and the Ministry for Youth and Sports running away from briefing Parliament or briefing Ghanaians on the preparation of the Black Stars towards the World Cup?” he questioned.
Hon. Iddrisu also pointed to what he described as contradictions between President John Mahama’s stated position and the actions of the Sports Ministry.
“Why is it the case that the President is saying something contrary, yet the Ministry of Youth and Sports is doing something else?” he asked. “Why is it the case that they said they are not sponsoring supporters to go to the World Cup, and yet they are giving supporters’ unions slots? Why are they giving NDC MPs two slots each?”
He argued that the alleged distribution of slots without proper screening could damage Ghana’s international reputation, particularly in relation to visa applications.
“If you go to the American Embassy today, over a thousand people have applied. They have issued fewer than 100 visas to some of them because the vetting has not been done properly,” he claimed. “When they do things like that, it dents the image of Ghana.”
The Minority also expressed concern about the lack of information regarding ticket procurement, sponsorship funds and overall expenditure connected to Ghana’s participation in the tournament.
Hon. Iddrisu maintained that Parliament remains the appropriate platform for the government to account to the public.
“The best place to account to the people is the Parliament of Ghana,” he stated. “That is where you can come and tell Ghanaians who contributed their money, the amount realised and how that money has been utilised.”
