Former PR Manager of NLA questions Finance Minister’s GHC10m dividend since 2017 assertion

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 said 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 said.

The Minister welcomed the payment but emphasized 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 statements, 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.

By Benjamin Aidoo