The Ghana Scandals Index

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How NLA under Samuel Awuku gave away GHC3 billion prime business in exchange for peanuts

In 2019, the then Director General of the NLA, Kofi Osei Ameyaw, signed a controversial three-year contract with a private company called KGL Technology Limited, to operate the NLA’s 5/90 lottery online via a USSD code (on mobile phone). Upon expiration of the contract in 2022, Mr. Awuku and his board renewed the contract with KGL for a 10-year period.

But before the expiration of the 10 years, in 2024, Mr. Awuku and his Board, Chaired by Gary Nimako Marfo, signed a new contract with KGL, granting the company exclusive rights to operate the 5/90 lottery online via USSD. This new contract was not for five years; not 10 years; but 15 years (from 2024 to 2039) with an automatic renewal for another five years.

Mr. Awuku and his board also signed two other contracts for KGL to operate the 5/90 online lottery in Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. These two contracts were also not for one year; not for two years; and not for five years. They were for 10 years each.

The Fourth Estate’s investigations revealed that annual revenue to KGL from the NLA’s 5/90 online lottery in 2024 alone was over GHC3 billion or over GHC250 million each month.

Under the contracts, however, KGL was supposed to pay a total of just GHC157.6 million to NLA in 2024, for all three contracts. This amount was to be increased annually by just 10% each year. The amount that was to be paid in 2024 represented a paltry 5.2% of the revenue KGL generated from the NLA’s prime business.


Sept. 30, 2025


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