GTA says it did not approve or endorse Osu Karnival Kingdom Festival

The Ghana Tourism Authority has clarified that it neither approved, endorsed, nor authorised the recent Karnival Kingdom Festival, a five-day Caribbean-style carnival held in Osu in the Accra.

The event gained public attention after videos and explicit images circulated on social media, triggering widespread criticism from members of the public, including religious organisations and social commentators.

Among the groups that strongly condemned the festival is the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which described the event as inappropriate and inconsistent with Ghana’s cultural, moral, and legal standards. The Conference also questioned how such an activity was permitted to take place on public streets in Accra.

In response to the controversy, the Ghana Tourism Authority distanced itself from the festival, stating that it had no prior knowledge of the event and did not grant any form of approval for its organisation.

The Authority’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Bright Asempa Tsadidey, told Citi News that the GTA was also surprised by the development and is working with the Ghana Police Service to investigate how the event was organised and executed.

He explained that while the Authority plays a key role in overseeing tourism activities in Ghana, it was not involved in or informed about the festival.

“We have not okayed, we have not endorsed, and we have not sanctioned any group of people to undertake such an exercise or event,” he said, adding that the Authority has already contacted the police to identify the organisers for further engagement.