Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mohammed Abdul-Salam, has called for a comprehensive review and renegotiation of the Authority’s contract with KGL Technology Limited, describing the current arrangement as unfair to the state.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Mr. Abdul-Salam stated that the existing agreement deprives the state of substantial revenue that could otherwise support national development.
“My position is that the state can gain a lot more from the contract, so there’s every reason for it to be renegotiated and bring more benefits to the state,” he emphasized.
His comments follow a recent investigative report by The Fourth Estate and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), which alleged that the NLA had effectively ceded control of a business worth over GHS 3 billion annually to KGL in exchange for just GHS 170 million a year.
The controversial contract, signed in 2024, grants KGL exclusive rights to operate the NLA’s flagship 5/90 online lottery for 15 years, with an automatic five-year renewal.
The report traced the origins of the deal to 2019, when then-Director General Kofi Osei-Ameyaw first signed a three-year agreement with KGL.
The contract was later extended under former NLA boss and now Akuapem North MP, Samuel Awuku, before being converted into a long-term 15-year agreement by a board chaired by lawyer Gary Nimako Marfo.
Critics have described the deal as a “giveaway” that violates the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722), which mandates that all lottery revenues pass through the NLA’s Lotto Account, with private operators limited to marketing roles.
In KGL’s case, revenues reportedly bypassed the NLA’s account, and the company paid only 5.2% of its declared revenue as a “revenue share.”
According to The Fourth Estate, KGL generated more than GHS 3 billion in 2024, paying just GHS 157.6 million to the NLA under three separate contracts.
The investigation also highlighted a steady decline in the Authority’s income — from GHS 366 million in 2015 to GHS 296.58 million in 2023 — raising concerns over the long-term fiscal implications of the KGL deal.
Mr. Abdul-Salam assured the Committee that the NLA under his leadership is committed to ensuring greater transparency and value for the state.
