Kofi Adams
The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, is facing a challenge to substantiate allegations that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tribe Culture Fest, Nana Boateng Gyimah, illegally received US$611,000 and is evading a refund.
Mr. Gyimah has denied the allegations and demanded that the minister produce documentary evidence of the alleged financial transaction or withdraw his claims and correct the public record.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Tribe Culture Fest CEO insisted that neither he nor his organisation received the amount from any private individual in connection with the arrangements in question.
He said the agreement involving Tribe Culture Fest was exclusively with the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
“For the record, Tribe Culture’s agreement was solely with the National Sports Authority and Ghana Tourism Authority. Neither I nor Tribe Culture Fest received the alleged US$611,000 from any private individual in connection with the arrangements in question,” he stated.
Mr. Gyimah challenged the minister to produce any agreement, authorisation or consent establishing the alleged financial arrangement involving him or his organisation.
He also demanded verifiable payment records identifying who paid the money, who received it, when it was paid and how the minister arrived at the US$611,000 figure.
“My reputation and the integrity of Tribe Culture must not be undermined by unsubstantiated public accusations,” he said.
He warned that failure by the minister to substantiate the allegations or withdraw them and correct the public record would compel him to refer the matter to his lawyers.
Minister’s Account
Mr. Adams, speaking on Accra-based TV3, provided further details about the circumstances that brought the proposed activities and visa arrangements to the attention of his ministry.
He said the ministry was initially unaware that some of the activities linked to Tribe Culture Fest would take place in the United States.
According to him, it was not until May 19 that a letter from the deposed Director-General of the NSA, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, introduced activities planned for both Ghana and the United States and requested support to facilitate visas for people described as volunteers and event coordinators.
“Well, that is what we have come to know that some of the activations were supposed to take place in the United States and up till May 19 we didn’t know that they will have some activations in the United States,” he said.
He said the letter contained a list of 90 volunteers for whom visa processing support was being sought.
The minister also disclosed that, according to information gathered during his investigations, the American Embassy had introduced Tribe Culture Fest to the NSA and GTA at a meeting at the embassy ahead of activities associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Tribe Fest Culture, I’m told was introduced to the National Sports Authority and the Ghana Tourism Authority by the American Embassy, that is what my investigations told me,” he stated.
Mr. Adams said the circumstances surrounding the introduction raised questions about whether officials of the two state institutions had taken advantage of the relationship for an improper purpose.
He said the American Embassy had every right to question whether the introduction had been exploited by officials of the NSA or GTA.
The minister further alleged that the individual associated with Tribe Culture Fest had worked with the NSA on lists containing relevant details and was now attempting to avoid refunding money allegedly obtained illegally.
According to him, information forwarded to the ministry included an attachment containing details that the ministry itself did not initially possess.
He accused the individual of putting out information to obscure the circumstances surrounding the money and insisted that he must be held accountable.
“He cannot run away with $611,000 of people’s money,” Mr. Adams said.
He indicated that appropriate criminal action would be necessary if investigations established that the individual had deliberately deceived those involved from the outset.
By Ernest Kofi Adu