President Mahama orders full review of NLA-KGL Technology agreements
The development follows reports from The Fourth Estate, a journalism group, which highlighted issues in the agreements in 2025.
Ghana.- Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has instructed officials to carry out a full review of the licensing agreements between the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and KGL Technology Limited, a subsidiary of the KGL Group.
The directive targets contracts signed in 2024 that grant KGL exclusive rights to operate the NLA’s popular 5/90 lottery game through online platforms and mobile short codes in Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
The order came in a letter dated December 24, 2025 from the president’s office to the Ministry of Finance. It calls for an examination of the deals’ legal foundation, duration, financial arrangements and compliance with Ghana’s Constitution, Public Procurement Act and National Lottery Act. A team led by the Attorney-General, working with the Finance Minister and the minister overseeing the NLA, will manage the process and recommend changes if necessary.
President Mahama’s action follows reports from The Fourth Estate, a journalism group, which highlighted issues in the agreements in 2025. Their findings revealed that after deals with KGL commenced in 2019, the NLA’s payments to the government’s main fund plummeted from GH¢37.1m (€2.97m) in 2018 to nil between 2022 and 2024. Meanwhile, KGL reported a profit of GH¢70m (€5.6m) from its NLA-related operations in 2024.
The review will examine revenue sharing, fees, exclusive rights and potential risks to the state, as well as obligations regarding performance, transparency, data management and audit access.
With the government having previously ruled out terminating the contracts outright, the review aims to ensure the agreements serve the public interest, provide fair value and comply with regulations. Where concerns emerge, renegotiation may target higher government returns, better monitoring and stronger NLA control.
In a statement signed by Razak Kojo Opoku, an external consultant for KGL Technology, the company said it welcomed the move, noting that it aligns with the contracts’ three-year review requirement. Opoku said: “We sincerely commend the efforts of the Mahama government for protecting, as well as creating, the environment for private sector and indigenous entrepreneurs to grow.”
He added that the partnership generated over GH¢300m (€24m) for the NLA and Ghana Revenue Authority in 2025, and KGL agreed to move the review forward to early 2026.
