Integrity and credibility are built on consistency but unfortunately it seems our colleagues at Fourth Estate and Media Foundation for West Africa are gradually undermining their own integrity and credibility in relation to their investigative work about NLA-KGL deal, and I say so due to these facts:
On 19th September 2025, Fourth Estate and Sulemana Briamah claimed that, NLA has exchanged a prime business for a peanut of GHS 170 million from KGL for the year 2025.
On 9th October 2025, Fourth Estate and Sulemana Briamah indicated that, NLA received GHS 157.6 million from KGL for 2024, and surprisingly today, 16th October 2025, Fourth Estate and Sulemana Briamah are misinforming their gullible readers that, “KGL makes millions in profit while NLA makes zero”.
The question many intelligent Ghanaians are asking Fourth Estate and Sulemana Briamah is that, if per their own narrative published on 19th September 2025 and 9th October 2025, if NLA received GHS 157.6 million in 2024 from KGL, and to receive GHS 170 million from KGL in 2025 then on what basis is Fourth Estate telling Ghanaians that, KGL makes millions in profit while NLA makes zero? So, according to the mathematical brains of Fourth Estate, GHS 157.6 million(2024) + GHS 170 million(2025) equals to ZERO PROFIT for NLA?
In total, NLA would obtained GHS 327.6 million(GHS 157.6m + GHS 170 m) from KGL for the financial years of 2024 and 2025.
This amount of GHS 327.6 million paid by KGL to NLA shall definitely goes up if monies NLA received from KGL in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 are added.
Also, on Monday, 13th October 2025, Fourth Estate published that, “in 2019, for the first year of the NLA-KGL deal, NLA’s PROFIT for the State reduced to GHS 17 million”. So, if NLA could make a profit of GHS 17 million for the State in the first year of NLA-KGL deal in 2019 then why is Fourth Estate turning 360 degrees to say that, “KGL makes millions in profit while NLA makes zero”?
KGL Profit in 2024
For the avoidance of any doubt, KGL make a profit of GHS 70 million while it pays GHS 157.6 million to the NLA. This data clearly shows that NLA rather makes more money than what KGL earned as a profit in 2024.
A fact check from Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA) also indicate that, KGL paid taxes to GRA in 2024, an amount higher than the profit earned by KGL in 2024.
By the end of 2025, both the National Lottery Authority(NLA) and Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA) shall receive payments from KGL which would be eventually higher than the profit of KGL for 2025.
In the beginning of their “JANDAM” investigative journalism, Fourth Estate Lied that KGL was controlling a GHS 3 billion prime business but today, 16th October 2025, the same Fourth Estate and Sulemana Briamah are telling us that, “KGL makes millions in profit while NLA makes zero”. What kind of inconsistency is that. How can a “billionaire KGL” according to Sulemana Briamah and Fourth Estate on 19th September 2025 is now rather “making millions as profit” instead of making billions as profit? This should let the gullible readers of Sulemana Briamah and Fourth Estate understand that, they are being “fooled” by Jandam Journalism.
DEBTS of NLA in the Absence of NLA-KGL deal
From the audited accounts of NLA below were the DEBTS of NLA from 2012-2019:
2012 – – – GHS 16, 754,642.18
2013 – – – GHS 56, 917, 633.63
2014 – – – GHS 11, 597, 177.79
2015 – – – GHS 18, 306, 364.73
2016 – – – GHS 21, 035, 212.20
2017 – – – GHS 14, 601, 385.04
2018 – – – GHS 560, 155.27
2019 – – – GHS 26, 624, 188.53
Based on the aforementioned debts of NLA from 2012-2019, would it be appropriate and justified to put the blame on NLA-KGL deal? Certainly not.
The provisional license of NLA-KGL deal was signed in November 2019, so definitely the deal has no role in the past debts incurred by the NLA.
NLA started making its losses long before KGL was issued exclusive provisional license agreement by NLA in November 2019.
The total debts of NLA BEFORE NLA-KGL deal was around GHS 233, 121, 889.28 million, as accumulated debts, which comprises:
- Unpaid Lotto Prizes to winners of national lotto.
- Unpaid Contractors
- Unpaid Withholding Tax(Income Tax) to Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA).
- Unpaid SSNIT Contributions.
- Unpaid Technical Service Providers(TSP) Fees.
- Unpaid Lotto Commission to Lotto Marketing Companies.
- Unpaid Provident Fund
- Unpaid Staff Union and Association Dues Deductions.
Some of the problems of NLA are the:
- existing revenue sharing agreement with Technical Service Providers(each receiving 6% on the gross revenue generated by the Authority via Point of Sale Terminals).
- 25% commission to Lotto Marketing Companies retailing lotto products via Kiosks and Point of Sale Terminals(previously it was 20%).
- Illegal lottery operations.
- Higher Win – Ratios
- No capping on the amount of money used for staking Lotto by the public.
NLA Transfers to Consolidated Fund Has Nothing to do with NLA-KGL Deal
The duty of NLA to transfer money to the Consolidated Fund is a political and management decision which has absolutely nothing to do with NLA-KGL deal.
The responsibility of KGL is to pay its fees to the NLA in accordance with the terms and conditions of its license agreement.
What NLA does with the money paid by KGL is NOT the business of KGL, just like KGL cannot dictate to Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA) on how it uses the taxes paid by KGL to the State.
Would you also blame KGL if GRA is unable to transfer the paid taxes of KGL to the Consolidated Fund?
For the purposes of education, it is extremely difficult to even fault the Board and management of NLA if they fail to transfer monies to the Consolidated Fund on monthly basis as stated in Section 32(4) of National Lotto Act, 2006(Act 722) because Section 32(4) of Act 722 can ONLY be fully implemented if Section 32(3) of Act 722 has been fully implemented.
According to Section 32(3) of Act 722, “The Authority shall pay out of the Lotto Account prize monies for winners of National Lotto and commissions to Lotto Marketing Companies licensed by the Authority”. This provision must be satisfied before you can proceed with the implementation of Section 32(4) of Act 722 which states that, “The Authority shall transfer the net balance in the Lotto Account on monthly basis to the Consolidated Fund”.
So, what if there is NO net balance in the Lotto Account after the payments of:
- Prize monies for winners of National Lotto as stated in Section 32(3) of Act 722?
- Commissions to Lotto Marketing Companies licensed by the Authority as stated in Section 32(3) of Act 722?
- Operational and capital expenditure from the Lotto Fund as stated in Section 50 of Act 722?
For political expediency, the NLA mostly rob winners of national Lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers, operational and administrative expenditures in order to transfer money into the Consolidated Fund. For instance, the NLA in:
(a). 2012, transferred GHS 20, 000,000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 16, 754, 642.18.
(b). 2013, transferred GHS 25, 000, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers, etc. at cost of GHS 56, 917, 633.63
(c). 2014, transferred GHS 11, 850, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 11, 597, 177.79.
(d). 2015, transferred GHS 33, 270, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 18, 306, 364.73
(e). 2016, transferred GHS 16, 000, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 21, 035, 212.20.
(f). 2017, transferred GHS 30, 000, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 14, 601, 385. 04
(g). 2018, transferred GHS 33, 927, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 560, 155.27
(h). 2019, transferred GHS 16, 962, 000.00 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers etc. at a cost of GHS 26, 624, 188.53
(i) 2020, transferred GHS 22, 400, 495.24 to the Consolidated Fund yet the Authority was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers, Contractors, Suppliers etc. at a cost of GHS 66, 725, 129.91
From the evidence above based on Facts and Data, it is very clear that, in order for NLA to transfer monies to the Consolidated Fund in accordance with Section 32(4) of Act 722, there is the need for the NLA to breach Section 32(3) of Act 722. This has always been the case from enactment of National Lotto Act, 2006(Act 722).
From 2012-2020(9years), NLA transferred a total amount of GHS 209, 409, 495.24 to the Consolidated Fund yet within that same period of 2012-2020, NLA was indebted to winners of national lotto, Lotto Marketing Companies, Technical Service Providers, Suppliers etc. at a cost of GHS 233, 121, 889.28
So what is the justification for Fourth Estate and Sulemana Briamah to needlessly blame KGL Technology Limited as the cause of NLA inability to transfer money to the Consolidated Fund in accordance with Section 32(4) of Act 722? Completely no basis at all.
And why should NLA necessarily transfer monies to the Consolidated Fund if they haven’t been able to pay winners of national lotto, commissions to Lotto Marketing Companies, Fees to Technical Service Providers, Salaries and benefits of NLA Workers etc.?
KGL Contributions to National Development of Ghana
About 50-70% of KGL’s Profits are invested into Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) and Corporate Social Investments(CSI) across the country to champion national development, and some of the CSR and CSI activities of KGL are as follows:
- Construction of multimillion-dollar ultra-modern Mental Health Facility in Kumasi in collaboration with Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
- Face-lift for Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
- Support to Akropong School for the Blind.
- Donations to Flood Victims at Keta
- Democracy Cup initiative by the Parliament of Ghana.
- Sponsorship to Ghana Football Association
- Sponsorship to Ghana Black Stars and other National Football Teams.
- Millennium Marathon
- Scholarships to Orphans, Needy, and Destitute Children.
- Two Million Ghana Cedis annually to support NLA Good Causes Foundation.
- Three Million Ghana Cedis annually to support NLA-KGL Stabilization Fund.
- Refurbishment of NLA’s Draw Studio, Brennan Hall.
- Payments of Live Lotto Draws of NLA
- Several others not mentioned.
….. Signed….
Razak Kojo Opoku(PhD)
Former PR Manager of NLA.
