Yaw Ampofo Ankrah

Yaw Ampofo Ankrah is a Ghanaian sports journalist and broadcaster who was Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) from 13 March 2025 to 1 October 2026. He is also the founding president of the Ghana Beach Soccer Association and is credited with bringing beach soccer to Ghana.

From Sunshine Radio to the BBC

He got his first job as a sports presenter at 19, a two-year stint at Sunshine Radio, later Choice FM. He went on to work for the BBC, SuperSport, TV3 and Metro TV, and reported from World Cups, the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and the World Athletics Championships.

In later years he anchored StarTimes coverage of the Ghana Premier League, led the sports desk at MAX FM and was Director of Communications at the Ghana Olympic Committee. On 9 December 2023 the Ghana Bloggers Association named him Sports Host of the Year.

He was a frequent critic of football administrators, and called for accountability after the Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Beach soccer and youth projects

He founded the Ghana Beach Soccer Association and chaired the Beach Soccer Committee of the Ghana Football Association. Away from broadcasting he runs the Books and Boots Academy in the Eastern Region and has been a consultant to the Kenpong Football Academy in Winneba.

Running the National Sports Authority

President John Dramani Mahama appointed him Director-General on 13 March 2025, ending the acting appointment of Seth Panwum Boyoyo. He met staff at the head office the next day. The job put him in charge of the national stadiums, working with the Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Adams, and gave him a seat on the board of the Ghana Sports Fund.

The state of the stadiums followed him through his time in office. Both the Accra Sports Stadium and the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi drew complaints about their condition in 2026.

World Cup visa allegations and exit

In 2026 it was alleged that more than US$600,000 had been collected from people seeking visa and travel help for the FIFA World Cup, with some paying as much as US$8,000, and that the offer had been advertised at NSA offices and stadiums. The Criminal Investigations Department questioned him and other NSA officials. The NSA denied authorising any visa or money-collection arrangement and said its lawyers were cooperating with the police. His own lawyer, Jerry Avenorgbor, has said Ampofo Ankrah collected no money and that the investigation will clear him.

The President dissolved the NSA's governing board on 2 September 2026. On 1 October 2026 Ampofo Ankrah left office. A letter from the Presidency said he was suspended pending the outcome of the police inquiry and described that as an administrative measure, not a finding of wrongdoing. Several news outlets reported it as a dismissal. Police had not announced any charges.

He responded on Facebook: "The President is always right. There is no cause for alarm. Time will always tell. Let's remain calm." Emmanuel Osei Sarpong, a sports scientist at the University of Education, Winneba, took over in an acting capacity. He appears on the list of Directors-General of the National Sports Authority.