Minister for Sports and Recreation Kofi Adams has accused Nana Boateng Gyimah, Chief Executive Officer of Tribe Culture Fest, of allegedly collecting US$611,000 in connection with arrangements for Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and attempting to avoid refunding the money.
Mr Adams made the allegation during an interview with Kemini Amanor on TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday, October 11, 2026, while responding to questions about alleged payments by individuals seeking visa facilitation to travel for World Cup-related activities.
However, Mr Gyimah has denied the allegation, insisting that neither he nor Tribe Culture Fest received the alleged amount from any private individual in connection with the arrangements. He has challenged the minister to produce evidence supporting the claim.
Mr Adams alleged that Mr Gyimah had been providing information to the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, which the minister said was intended to divert attention from the disputed money.
According to the minister, the amount was connected to an agreement involving the National Sports Authority (NSA) and arrangements to transport Ghanaians for the World Cup.
“He cannot run away with six hundred and eleven thousand dollars of people’s money. We must make sure that we get him, and if it is found out right from the word go, he deceived the people, we must take the appropriate criminal actions,” Mr Adams said.
The minister maintained that the allegations surrounding the payments emerged after Ghana returned from the tournament, when complaints were made by individuals who claimed to have paid money for visa facilitation but had not obtained the expected outcome.
He said he received a petition from a person who claimed to have submitted 15 individuals and paid approximately US$59,000. According to Mr Adams, the petitioner had already reported the matter to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
The minister said his ministry had no prior knowledge of the alleged payments and maintained that its role was to forward lists of prospective travellers submitted by relevant institutions through the appropriate administrative channels.
He also defended the ministry’s handling of a list of 90 volunteers and event coordinators submitted by the NSA in May 2026 for World Cup-related activities, saying the information supplied did not indicate that the individuals had paid money to secure places on the list.
Mr Adams insisted that neither the US Embassy nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had formally informed his ministry that individuals on the 90-person list had been misrepresented.
In response, Mr Gyimah categorically rejected the minister’s allegation, stating that Tribe Culture Fest’s contractual arrangements were exclusively with the NSA and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
“I categorically deny the allegations attributed to the Minister for Sports, Hon. Kofi Adams, that I or Tribe Culture Fest illegally received US$611,000 and are avoiding a refund,” he said in a statement issued on October 12.
He added that neither he nor the organisation received the alleged US$611,000 from a private individual in connection with the arrangements.
Mr Gyimah challenged Mr Adams to provide any agreement, authorisation or consent involving him or Tribe Culture Fest that established the alleged financial arrangement. He also demanded verifiable payment records showing who paid the money, who received it, when it was paid and how the minister arrived at the figure.
“My reputation and the integrity of Tribe Culture must not be undermined by unsubstantiated public accusations,” he said, calling on the minister to substantiate the allegations or withdraw them and correct the public record.
Mr Gyimah warned that he would refer the matter to his lawyers if the minister failed to address the claims.
