NLA ex official backs President Mahama’s review of NLA-KGL lottery agreement
He added that the government, through the NLA and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), earned more than GH¢300m (€17.1 m) from KGL in 2025.
Ghana.- Former Head of Public Relations at the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Dr Razak Kojo Opoku, has accepted President John Dramani Mahama’s directive for a review of the licensing agreement between the NLA and KGL Technology Limited.
In a statement issued in Accra on January 12, 2026, Dr Opoku said: “The wisdom of Mahama’s government in safeguarding the NLA-KGL contract reflects a commitment to supporting private-sector growth and indigenous entrepreneurship, as enshrined in Article 36 of the 1992 Constitution.”
He explained that despite a sustained negative campaign by a section of the media, which urged the government to cancel the NLA-KGL contract, the Mahama administration chose to uphold the agreement.
Dr Opoku emphasised that the deal would continue indefinitely, with scheduled reviews and renegotiations designed to protect both the interests of the state and KGL. He stated: “The NLA-KGL deal shall stay forever, with reviews and renegotiations in the interests of the state and KGL.”
He added that the government, through the NLA and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), earned more than GH¢300m (€17.1 m) from KGL in 2025. Of this, the NLA received GH¢176m (€10m). These figures, he said, emphasised the financial benefits of the licensing agreement for the state.
Dr Opoku pointed out that the current NLA Board had already requested the Attorney-General’s assessment and review of the licensing agreement before media campaigns and petitions reached the Office of the President.
He explained: “Review and renegotiation are mandatory under the contract, which stipulates reviews every three years, with negotiations commencing six months into the following year. NLA and KGL have mutually agreed to advance this process to early 2026, ensuring ample time for review ahead of 2027.”
He stressed that renegotiations are legal processes between the contracting parties, not matters for media debate. KGL fully supports the review being undertaken by the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, which will help put to rest baseless criticisms of the NLA-KGL deal.
He also criticised the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for attempting to claim credit for the review process after its earlier campaign to terminate the contract failed.
The agreement, signed in 2024, grants KGL rights to operate aspects of the NLA’s 5/90 lottery through online and mobile channels. In 2025,
The Fourth Estate, a journalism group, raised concerns about the contracts, reporting that since the deals began in 2019, the NLA’s payments to the government fund had fallen sharply, while KGL had earned substantial profits from the same operations. The findings prompted calls for a review to ensure the agreements deliver fair value and serve the public interest.
