Financial economist and academic, Dr Razak Kojo Opoku, has challenged Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson’s assertion that the National Lottery Authority (NLA) has, for the first time since 2017, presented a GH¢10 million dividend to the government.
Dr Opoku, a former Public Relations Manager of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), argues that the minister’s statement does not accurately reflect the financial contributions made by entities operating within the lottery sector.
According to him, the government received more than GH¢153 million through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and another GH¢173 million through the NLA from KGL for the 2025 financial year.
He further stated that 29 other companies also paid their respective licence fees to the NLA for the same financial year.
Dr Opoku said these payments demonstrate that the State has been receiving significant revenue from the lottery ecosystem and should therefore be properly distinguished from dividends paid directly by the NLA.
His comments follow a statement by Mr Ato Forson in which the Finance Minister announced that the NLA had paid GH¢10 million in dividends to government, describing the development as the first such payment since 2017.
“For the first time since 2017, the National Lottery Authority has presented a dividend to Government, paying GH¢10 million,” Mr Ato Forson stated.
The minister welcomed the payment but stressed that it should not be treated as merely symbolic, arguing that taxpayers deserved greater financial returns from the authority.
He also disclosed that he is working with the Attorney-General to review agreements involving the NLA that, in his assessment, had resulted in the State foregoing revenue.
“I am working with the Attorney-General to complete, this month, a review of agreements that have unreasonably ceded NLA revenue to others at the expense of the State,” Mr Ato Forson said.
He further directed attention to the NLA’s statutory mandate, insisting that the authority must concentrate on its core functions and maximise the revenue accruing to the State.
“The NLA must focus on its core mandate and deliver full value to the people,” he added.
Mr Ato Forson reiterated that the government would pursue all revenues it believes are legally due to the State.
“Ghana has lost enough. I will ensure that every pesewa due the State from the NLA is paid,” he said.
Reacting to the minister’s comments, Dr Opoku argued that presenting the GH¢10 million dividend as though it represented the total financial contribution from the NLA and related lottery activities risks creating a misleading impression about the sector’s contribution to government revenue.
He said the distinction between dividends, taxes and licence fees is important when assessing the financial relationship between the NLA, lottery operators and the government.
According to him, the figures for the 2025 financial year show that substantial sums were paid to the State through the GRA and NLA.
“The government, through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Lottery Authority (NLA), respectively received over GHS 153 million and GHS 173 million from KGL for the 2025 financial year,” he wrote.
He added that the NLA also received licence fees from 29 other companies operating within the sector.
Dr Opoku consequently questioned the accuracy of statements suggesting that government had received only GH¢10 million from the current management of the NLA since 2018.
He maintained that public discussions about the authority’s financial performance must be based on a complete account of the various streams of revenue paid to the State.
“Accurate accountability should START with ACCURATE INFORMATION, not misinformation,” he stated.
The dispute comes as the government prepares to review agreements associated with the NLA and the allocation of revenues generated from lottery operations.
Mr Ato Forson has indicated that the review, being undertaken with the Attorney-General, is intended to determine whether existing arrangements have deprived the State of revenues that should otherwise have accrued to the public purse.
The Finance Minister’s position is that the NLA should deliver greater value to taxpayers and ensure that all revenues legally due to the State are collected.
Dr Opoku’s response, however, shifts the focus to the need for clarity over how revenues from lottery-related activities are classified and accounted for.
At the centre of the emerging debate is therefore the distinction between NLA dividends and other statutory payments, including taxes collected through the GRA and licence fees paid directly to the NLA.
The competing positions are likely to intensify scrutiny of the financial arrangements governing the lottery sector, particularly the agreements between the State and private operators and the extent to which those arrangements determine government revenue.
For Dr Opoku, the figures for 2025 provide a basis for a broader assessment of the sector’s contribution rather than focusing exclusively on the GH¢10 million dividend.
By 1960news.com
