The Chief Executive Officer of Tribe Culture Fest, Nana Boateng Gyimah, has challenged Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams to provide documentary evidence supporting allegations that his organisation collected money from individuals seeking visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mr Gyimah has denied receiving US$611,000 from private individuals in connection with the arrangements, describing the allegation as unsubstantiated and damaging to his reputation and the credibility of the organisation.
The dispute intensified after Mr Adams revised the amount in question to US$623,000, claiming that reports submitted to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) indicated that Tribe Culture Fest had collected money from prospective travellers.
“The money is not US$611,000 but US$623,000. It’s more than what I actually mentioned,” the minister said in an interview with Citi Sports.
In response, Mr Gyimah insisted that Tribe Culture Fest’s contractual arrangements for the World Cup were 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 said.
He has called on the minister to produce agreements, payment records and other documents establishing a link between him or his organisation and the alleged transactions.
Mr Gyimah also wants the minister to explain how the original US$611,000 figure was calculated, identify the individuals who allegedly made the payments and provide details of who received the money and when the transactions occurred.
He warned that he would pursue legal action if the minister failed to substantiate the allegations, withdraw them or correct the public record.
Mr Adams had earlier accused Mr Gyimah of being behind allegations against the minister and other public officials over the World Cup visa arrangements. He further claimed that the Tribe Culture Fest chief executive had supplied information to Old Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah to divert attention from the disputed payments.
“He cannot run away with US$611,000 of people’s money,” the minister said in an earlier television interview, adding that appropriate criminal action should follow if investigations established that people had been deceived.
However, the minister’s revision of the alleged amount from US$611,000 to US$623,000 has raised further questions about the basis of the figures. It remains unclear from the competing public statements whether the difference reflects additional complaints, new financial records or a correction to the initial amount.
The allegations have not been independently established, and the referral to the CID does not in itself amount to proof of wrongdoing.
Although Tribe Culture Fest has denied receiving the money directly from private individuals, its statement does not resolve whether payments were made through agents, associated entities or other institutions connected to the arrangements. These possibilities remain questions for investigators rather than established facts.
The company has been involved in plans for World Cup-related viewing centres and cultural events across Ghana’s 16 regions, alongside fan experiences and travel-related activities in the United States and Canada.
Its agreements with the NSA and GTA are expected to be central to determining the scope of its responsibilities, including whether it had authority to recruit travellers, collect payments or provide visa-related assistance.
The investigation will also need to establish what prospective travellers were promised, the purpose of any payments, who received the funds and whether refunds were due. The existence of a contract with a state institution does not automatically authorise a private organisation to collect money from the public, while the failure of a travel arrangement does not by itself establish fraud.
The wider controversy also involves questions about lists of individuals reportedly submitted for visa processing ahead of the tournament.
Mr Adams said the US Embassy sought verification of four individuals included in an earlier submission made directly by the NSA on March 18, 2026. According to him, the NSA Director-General indicated that the four were not employees of the Authority, and he communicated that information in response to the verification request.
The minister maintained that those individuals were separate from a subsequent list of 90 people that has become central to the controversy.
The different submissions, the institutions responsible for them and the identities and roles of the individuals involved will need to be examined separately to establish what happened.
The NSA and GTA also face questions about the agreements they entered into with Tribe Culture Fest, the due diligence conducted before the arrangements were approved and the safeguards put in place to protect prospective travellers.
The Ministry of Sports must similarly clarify when it became aware of the allegations, what oversight it exercised and the circumstances under which the matter was referred to law enforcement.
For the CID investigation to resolve the dispute, investigators will need to examine the relevant agreements, banking records, receipts, electronic transfers and communications. Statements from the alleged payers will also be important in determining how much they paid, whom they paid and what services they expected in return.
Any claims that individuals were presented to a foreign embassy under false identities or inaccurate descriptions must also be investigated and supported by evidence.
The distinction between visa assistance and other travel services is particularly important. Visa decisions rest with the destination country’s authorities, and no private organisation can guarantee approval. However, a failed visa application does not automatically make a travel-service payment fraudulent if the charges and contractual terms were properly disclosed.
The minister should provide the records supporting his revised US$623,000 allegation, while Tribe Culture Fest should make available its agreements and relevant financial records to help clarify the transactions.
Ultimately, neither a public accusation nor a corporate denial can settle the matter. The evidence must establish whether money was collected, who received it, what the payments covered and whether anyone acted unlawfully.
Until those questions are answered, the dispute will remain unresolved, with the revised amount adding to the uncertainty surrounding Ghana’s World Cup visa arrangements.
Source: Norvanreport
