Ghana NLA pays first direct dividend since 2017 as reforms face revenue test
The GH¢10m payout is being hailed as early proof that NLA reforms are working, even as the finance minister signals a review to secure a larger state share.
Key takeaways:
- Ghana’s National Lottery Authority (NLA) paid a GH¢10m (US$853,251) dividend to the ministry of finance for the Consolidated Fund, its first direct dividend contribution to the state since 2017.
- NLA director-general Mohammed Abdul-Salam presented the cheque on October 2, 2026, calling it evidence that operational reforms are beginning to improve financial performance and accountability.
- The payment follows reforms including the migration of Private Lotto Operators from manual, paper-based operations to POS terminals, with an October 1 deadline after an initial August 1 target was extended.
- Finance minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson described the GH¢10m as a positive start but below what the state should receive, and said a review of revenue agreements with the Attorney-General is expected to be completed this month to secure a larger state share.
Ghana.- Ghana’s National Lottery Authority (NLA) has made its first direct dividend payment to the state since 2017, handing over GH¢10m (US$853,251) to the ministry of finance for the Consolidated Fund. The payout is being presented by the NLA as early proof that operational reforms are improving revenue and accountability, even as the finance minister warns the amount is too low and orders a review of revenue-sharing agreements.
NLA director-general Mohammed Abdul-Salam presented the cheque to finance minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on October 2, describing the payment as an early indication that reforms at the authority were beginning to improve its financial performance.
Abdul-Salam said: “This is more than a transfer of funds. It is evidence that the reforms we committed to are beginning to work and a promise of what is still to come.” He added that the NLA expected its contribution to the national purse to increase as the reforms matured, while the authority reviews its operations to improve revenue generation and accountability.
The payment marks a return to direct dividend contributions by the NLA after payments to the ministry of finance stopped in 2017. The development comes as the authority pursues several operational changes aimed at improving lottery sales, monitoring and revenue collection.
One of the measures is the migration of Private Lotto Operators (PLOs) from manual, paper-based lottery operations to point-of-sale (POS) terminals. The NLA initially set August 1 as the deadline for the transition before extending it to October 1 following consultations with stakeholders.
The authority also signed a partnership with Fidelity Bank for the deployment of modern POS terminals, citing outdated equipment and unreliable network connectivity as challenges affecting its operations. The NLA said the technology upgrade was intended to improve efficiency, reduce business losses and strengthen transaction monitoring.
Receiving the dividend, Forson said the GH¢10m (US$853,251) payment was a positive start but below what the state should be receiving from the national lottery. He also disclosed that the ministry was working with the NLA and the Attorney-General to review agreements governing the authority’s revenue arrangements.
He said the review was expected to be completed in October and argued that some agreements had ceded an unreasonable share of lottery revenue to other entities. The minister noted that the government would seek to correct the arrangements to ensure a larger share of lottery revenue reaches the state.
