NLA’s Biggest Problem Is ‘Chop-Chop’ and Waste of Resources
…As Dr. Opoku Challenges Finance Minister’s GH¢10m Revenue Claim
The National Lottery Authority’s (NLA) biggest challenge is not a lack of revenue but the alleged wastage of financial resources, former NLA Public Relations (PR) Manager and External Consultant to KGL, Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku, has asserted.
According to Dr. Opoku, it makes little sense for the NLA to spend more than 90 per cent of its income on its Good Causes Foundation and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities while paying only GH¢10 million in dividends to the Ministry of Finance.
He said the focus should not merely be on reviewing agreements within the lottery sector but on addressing what he described as excessive and unnecessary expenditure at the NLA.
“The major problem of NLA is wastage of financial resources,” he argued, stressing that increasing revenues at the Authority should translate into greater benefits for taxpayers.
He maintained that the more money the NLA receives, the more resources it allegedly commits to “needless internal operations and activities” instead of maximising returns to the state.
He was reacting to Pronouncement by the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, regarding the financial benefits accruing to the state from lottery operations involving the NLA.
Dr. Opoku described as “never true” the assertion that Ghanaian taxpayers had not benefited from the lottery business since 2018, arguing that the state had received substantial revenues from companies operating in the sector.
GH¢326m Paid, Not GH¢10m
In a statement, he said taxpayers, through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), received more than GH¢153 million from KGL on April 16, 2026, in taxes for the 2025 financial year.
He further stated that the NLA received more than GH¢173 million from KGL during the same period.
Dr. Opoku questioned why the NLA could receive GH¢173 million from KGL while the Ministry of Finance received only GH¢10 million in dividends from the Authority.
He also disclosed that 29 other private lotto operators licensed by the NLA paid a combined GH¢44.9 million to the Authority in 2025.
He said those operators were also expected to pay taxes to the GRA, further demonstrating that the lottery sector contributes significant revenue to the state.
‘Get Your Facts Right’
Dr. Opoku therefore challenged the Finance Minister to “get his facts right” regarding the financial benefits the country derives from the lottery industry.
He accused the Minister of misinformation, insisting that it was inaccurate to suggest that taxpayers were only now beginning to benefit from lottery operations.
Dr. Opoku consequently urged the government to focus on tackling waste and improving financial efficiency at the NLA as part of its reset agenda.
