A Ghanaian digital marketing and tourism promotion firm accuses the Namibian Tourism Board of withholding payment for services rendered under a contract agreement signed in 2023.
Hype.UP Limited from Ghana alleges that NTB owes it over N$700,000 calculated on today's rate.
The Chief Executive Officer of Hype.UP Limited, Ike Dsane, said they have filed a formal complaint with the Ghana Police Services and Namibian Authorities against NTB for withholding payments for services they rendered to it.
He claims that they were contracted by NTB in 2023 to execute promotional campaigns aimed at boosting Namibian tourism, particularly targeting Ghanaians and other West African travellers.
However, despite fulfilling their contractual obligations, they have not received the agreed-upon payments.
In its response, NTB noted that last year it received a complaint from Hype.UP regarding the delayed payment of an invoice amounting to over N$180,000 for services allegedly rendered under two agreements between Hype.UP and NTB, dated 9 September 2023 and 27 October 2023.
NTB says upon receiving the complaint, they initiated a thorough investigation, which revealed that the invoice in question was issued five months prior to the formalisation of the agreements and the commencement of services.
Further inquiry, NTB says, uncovered that between May 2023 and April 2024, Hype.Up had submitted invoices totalling about N$12.4 million, of which NTB had paid about N$682,000 between April and October 2023.
NTB further claims that the new board and management found no supporting documentation, contracts, or agreements to substantiate these payments, while a subsequent meeting with Hype.Up failed to clarify these inconsistencies, leaving NTB with serious concerns that these payments may have been part of a fraudulent scheme.
Something that Hype.Up Limited denied.
NTB also claims that the three service agreements with Hype.UP were signed by former CEO Digu ||Naobeb, of which the first agreement, dated 9 September 2023, was a fixed term from 26 November 2023 to 29 February 2024 for N$77,000.
While a second agreement signed on 27 October 2023 had the same terms and payment amount, making these agreements identical, covering the same services for the NTB Ghana Roadshow.
However, NTB says the roadshow did not take place as planned, and no representative attended the events in Ghana. As a result, no services were rendered under these agreements, leading to their termination due to the expiration of the contractual terms.
In addition, to the agreements mentioned above, NTB says they entered into a third agreement with Hype.UP on 6 September 2023. It was intended to run for one year, and despite a diligent review, NTB says they found no invoice or evidence of service rendered under the agreement during the agreed time.
Which led to NTB terminating the contract to avoid further involvement in the agreement, which they claim was entered into with corrupt intentions.
However, Hype.Up's Dsane said that they did render services, including a group of 21 Ghanaian tourists who visited Namibia in 2023 for a tourism and business pilot initiative.
Hype.UP's lawyers have described the NTB's actions as a blatant disregard for professional ethics and a breach of trust, and therefore they have officially petitioned Namibian authorities and the Ghana Police to investigate the matter and hold the responsible NTB individuals accountable.