Why Sports Ministry always attracts scandals – Pius Enam Hadzide

Former deputy Sports Minister Pius Enam Hadzide has shed light on why the Sports Ministry has been plagued by scandals. During an appearance on JoyNews’ PM Express, Hadzide pointed to the limited control the Minister has over the various agencies they collaborate with, including the Ghana Football Association and the Swimming Federation.

These independent organizations have their own rules and regulations, and the Minister’s influence over them is restricted. Hadzide explained, "We work with stakeholders over whom we do not have total control." He noted that while the Minister has full oversight of certain agencies, relationships with others are more challenging.

The Sports Ministry has witnessed an unusually high turnover of Sports Ministers since 1979 - with 28 ministers in that period, compared to only 15 finance ministers - and the majority of these tenures were marked by scandal. For every two substantive ministers, one tenure was tainted by allegations of visa racketeering, misappropriation, and other forms of corruption.

Hadzide argued that the intense media scrutiny faced by the Sports Ministry is both a curse and a blessing. While it draws more attention to sports-related issues, it also ensures that journalists like Muftawu Nabila Abdulai and Fentuo Tahiru remain vigilant and spot any irregularities. He concluded that if the same level of scrutiny was applied to other ministries, the Sports Ministry scandals would likely seem less significant.

This commentary comes in the wake of the ongoing 2026 World Cup visa scandal, which has led to the suspension of the NSA Director General and growing calls for the resignation of the Sports Minister.