The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Hon. Vincent Ekow Asafuah, has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the controversial World Cup raffle, questioning the management of funds collected, the selection of winners and the handling of participants’ personal data.
Asafuah described the initiative as a “symbol of national embarrassment”, alleging that Ghanaians’ money and sensitive personal information were collected through questionable channels without adequate transparency.
In an address on the matter, the opposition lawmaker linked the controversy to the ongoing visa scandal, arguing that the issue raises serious questions about public accountability and the responsibility of state institutions to protect citizens’ information.
“The protection of their personal data and the duty of every public institution to account for each cedi—based in the name of the nation—those are the terms of the social contract,” he stated.
Demands records of raffle entries and winners
Asafuah has called on the National Authority and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation to publish the official draw procedures, dates and complete records of the raffle.
He wants the government to disclose the total number of entries, the amount of money collected and the methodology used to select the winners.
He has also demanded the publication of a verifiable list of the 220 declared winners, alongside explanations regarding what he described as “fake codes” and the verification process.
A major concern raised by the Ranking Member is the alleged use of a foreign private WhatsApp number bearing Mali’s country code (+223) to communicate with winners and collect their passport details.
He questioned why an official Ghanaian communication channel was not used and demanded clarification on who controls the number and where the personal information collected has been stored.
“Who controls that number and where the passport [details] collected are now stored? How many winners actually travelled? What happened to the rest?” he asked.
Questions NLA’s role and World Cup ticket transactions
The lawmaker has further challenged the government to clarify whether the National Lottery Authority (NLA) licensed or partnered with the government’s “Ghana 2026” initiative.
He is demanding the publication of the operators’ contract and the identities of those behind the website identified as “GH World Cup raffle dot com”.
Asafuah also wants the government to account for 2,922 tickets, including whether public funds were used to acquire them, how many were allocated to raffle winners and whether the tickets were eventually used.
He has called for the disclosure of the Bonanza’s ticket sales, prices, funds generated and charitable transfers, as well as documentary evidence that advertised prizes were delivered.
“If prizes were delivered, show evidence. If not, tell us why and who chopped the money,” he challenged.
Calls for Auditor-General’s probe and compensation
Asafuah has called for full compensation for Ghanaians he alleges were deceived by the scheme.
He has urged the Auditor-General to conduct a special audit into the November 4 raffle, the March 18, 2026 raffle and the World Cup fund to establish how the funds were collected and utilised.
He has also called on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee to take evidence on the raffles alongside its inquiry into the visa scandal.
Additionally, he wants the Data Protection Commission to investigate how the passport details and other personal information of winners were collected, stored and shared.
The Ranking Member maintained that the government must take steps to address the concerns and restore public confidence, particularly in view of what he described as the damage caused to Ghana’s international reputation by the visa racketeering controversy.
“This government, which has already painted Ghana’s image worldwide with visa racketeering, must be forced to do the needful. Enough of the lies,” he concluded.
