Minority demands full accounting of GH₵58 million World Cup spending

Pinned summary · as of 17:00

The Minority in Parliament has asked the government to open its books on Ghana's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, which it puts at GH₵58 million. The call followed a briefing to Parliament's Youth, Sports and Culture Committee by Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams. Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the Minority's Ranking Member on the committee, said the briefing left too many expenditure lines unexplained.

What we know

• The Minority caucus in Parliament demanded an itemised statement of spending on the Black Stars' World Cup trip, covering air travel, lodging, domestic transport, laundry, camps, logistics, food, security and match tickets.
• Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams appeared before the Youth, Sports and Culture Committee to speak on World Cup expenditure; Kumasi Mail placed the appearance on Thursday, 17 September.
• The Minority also asked for an account of every FIFA payment received for the tournament, including money for preparations, and for a reconciliation of corporate and private donations to the Black Stars, showing how they were used.
• Mr Assafuah cited a draft budget attributed to the Ghana Football Association, which reportedly provided US$15,000 for laundry and US$38,000 for internal transport. He asked what was actually spent, who supplied the services, which contracts were signed, at what rates, and what was finally paid.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

• ?
  Nkonkonsa described GH₵58 million as the amount reportedly spent on the campaign, while Kumasi Mail called it the sum the government allocated. Reports therefore differ on whether the figure is a budget or actual spending.
• ?
  According to Kumasi Mail, Mr Assafuah said the Minister told the committee that each Black Stars player received $100,000 in appearance fees, about $2.6 million in all, and that payments to the technical team and officials brought spending to $4,670,339 of a $5 million advance. Mr Assafuah said the Minority does not challenge those approved payments but wants to know how the entire advance, which he equated with about GH₵58 million, was used. No other report carried these figures.
• ?
  Kumasi Mail reported that Mr Assafuah listed reported gifts: Ibrahim Mahama of Engineers and Planners and Gold Fields Ghana at $2 million each, Shatta Wale at $100,000, Stonebwoy at $101,000, Ghana Gas and GCB Bank PLC at GH₵5 million apiece, and Ecobank Ghana Limited at GH₵3 million, among others. He put dollar contributions and pledges at $7.516 million, cedi ones at GH₵33.08 million and total corporate cedi contributions at GH₵115.756 million. These numbers have not been confirmed by other reports.
• ?
  Mr Assafuah also asked for the date, receiving account and recipient of every donation, according to Kumasi Mail.
• ?
  Kumasi Mail reported that Mr Assafuah said the government had earlier ruled out organising mass travel for fans, yet paid for the trips of 431 supporters. He asked the Ministry to publish how supporters were chosen and what the exercise cost. This is his account and has not been verified elsewhere.
• ?
  Kumasi Mail said the Minority wants a reconciliation of 3,000 World Cup tickets reportedly bought, covering those allocated, used, unused, transferred or resold, and an investigation into reported ticketing irregularities and resale allegations.
• ?
  Kumasi Mail reported that Mr Assafuah voiced concern over word that the National Sports Authority's Director-General and some employees had been questioned by the Criminal Investigations Department about a suspected scam involving World Cup visas. He stressed the Minority was not declaring anyone guilty. The allegation has not been confirmed by police or other reports.
• ?
  Kumasi Mail reported that the Minority asked the President to dismiss the Director-General of the National Sports Authority or at least make him step aside while the investigation continues. No response from the President or the Director-General was included.

Why it matters for Ghana

Public money and private donations backed the Black Stars' campaign, so taxpayers and contributors in Accra, Kumasi and elsewhere have a stake in how it was used. The Minority's demands set out the level of detail it expects from the sports ministry, the football association and related institutions. The exchange also tests how the government answers requests for itemised accounts from Parliament.