The head of Tribe Culture Fest, Nana Boateng Gyimah, has pushed back strongly against claims that his outfit pocketed $611,000 from people hoping to secure visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mr Gyimah is insisting the festival company never dealt directly with any private applicant and is daring the Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Adams, to back his accusation with hard evidence.
At a press briefing on Sunday, October 18, the CEO dismissed suggestions linked to the Minister that he and his company collected the cash illegally and have been dodging repayment.
According to him, Tribe’s work on the programmes under scrutiny was strictly based on official contracts signed with state agencies – the National Sports Authority and in some cases the Ghana Tourism Authority.
He explained that under those institutional deals, Tribe billed $3,000 and $2,000 as all-inclusive fees covering its mandate – which included organizing events, handling travel plans, hotel reservations, ground transport and security.
Those charges, he emphasised, were under formal agreements with the institutions and have nothing to do with any private visa deals being rumoured.
Mr Gyimah further claimed that some hopeful travellers actually paid far larger sums – between $14,000 and $20,000 – to certain persons within the NSA who had assured them of visas, especially to the US and Canada.
He was emphatic that none of that money came to Tribe Culture Fest. To clear the air, he is demanding full disclosure – the names of those who allegedly paid, who received it, how much was involved, and how the transfers were done.
He wants to see bank statements, mobile money logs, signed contracts, receipts and any acknowledgement of payment to prove if his company or himself ever received such funds.
He also wants clarity on what legal basis anyone is demanding a refund and who authorized the transactions in the first place.
He described those requests as basic requirements for establishing culpability in a case of this nature.
