The Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has been suspended from his position.
Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong, an Associate Professor of Physical Education and Sports at the University of Education, Winneba, has been appointed Acting Director-General with immediate effect.
Prof. Sarpong will oversee the day-to-day administration of the Authority during Mr Ampofo Ankrah’s suspension.
The development comes amid scrutiny over the management of the country’s sporting facilities and an ongoing police investigation into an alleged visa facilitation scheme linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The NSA has denied involvement in the alleged visa facilitation arrangement, while its legal team has said it is cooperating with the police investigation.
The development follows the dissolution of the NSA’s governing board by President John Dramani Mahama on September 2, 2026. Mr Ampofo Ankrah, who was a member of the dissolved board, remained in charge of the Authority’s day-to-day administration.
His position came under increased scrutiny in September after the Minority in Parliament called for his suspension or dismissal over allegations surrounding the collection of more than US$600,000 from individuals seeking assistance with visa and travel arrangements for the World Cup.
The Minority alleged that some applicants were charged as much as US$8,000, while stressing that it was not prejudging the outcome of the investigation.
Mr Ampofo Ankrah and other NSA officials were subsequently reported to have been questioned by the Criminal Investigations Department as part of the investigation.
The NSA, however, denied authorising any visa facilitation or money-collection scheme and described the allegations as false.
