Ghanaian musician Kirani Ayat has strongly refuted recent claims made by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, regarding an alleged agreement reached following their copyright infringement case in 2022.
Ayat had initially accused the government of utilizing portions of his music video in a tourism promotional video without his authorization. The video, which was shared by President Nana Akufo-Addo on World Tourism Day, featured scenes from Ayat’s single ‘Guda’.
After a meeting with the GTA and receiving compensation, Ayat revealed that the authority had pledged to collaborate on various projects aimed at showcasing Ghana’s landscapes and talents to the global audience.
However, in a recent interview on Hitz FM, Akwasi Agyeman disclosed that despite their willingness to work with Ayat, the musician was unavailable for their proposed project when contacted.
“We reached an agreement and a settlement. And then in that agreement, we said going forward we will work together. So when we were planning our December program, we contacted him and his team, but they mentioned they were not prepared,” Agyeman stated.
He further expressed the authority’s eagerness to host events in different parts of the country beyond the usual locations like Accra, Cape Coast, and Takoradi. However, Ayat’s unavailability has hindered their collaboration plans.
Nonetheless, Agyeman emphasized that the GTA remains open to collaborating with Kirani Ayat whenever he is ready. Despite this, Ayat took to social media to counter Agyeman’s statements, dismissing them as falsehoods.
In a post, Ayat stated, “This man, he doesn’t even answer my manager’s calls. All lies.” The conflicting narratives between Ayat and the GTA CEO add another layer of complexity to their ongoing dispute.
