Renegotiation of Terrible NLA-KGL deal: defying the President’s order or just a tactical ‘Go Slow’ process

On April 7, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama directed his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, as well as the Minister for Finance, to renegotiate the terrible deal between the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and KGL Technology Ltd on the 5/90 online lottery.

The President’s directive followed the outcome of the inquiry into the deal by a committee that was jointly set up by the ministries at the instruction of the President. After its inquiry, the Committee concluded that the 15-year deal, which was signed in 2024, was financially unbeneficial to Ghana.

The Committee’s conclusion was consistent with revelations by The Fourth Estate in its series of publications that prompted the President’s directive for an inquiry into the deal.

In the April 7 Presidential directive, for the renegotiation of the 2024 NLA-KGL contract, the President was firm and clear that the renegotiation needed to be treated with a sense of urgency. The reason, according to the directive, was that the matter involved financial and socio-economic implications.

The Committee has concluded that the deal is “financially disadvantageous to the Republic.” The Committee also established that the deal has had an adverse impact on traditional lottery operators in the country.

Paragraph 3(a) of the Presidential Directive to the two Ministers stated: “In the light of the above, His Excellency has directed immediate commencement of re-negotiations of the existing contractual arrangement with KGL, to secure improved financial terms for the Republic.”

To highlight how expeditious the President wanted decisions on the matter made, paragraph 4 of the Presidential directive stated: “You are accordingly requested to take immediate steps to implement the above directives and to submit a comprehensive progress report within one week of receipt of this letter, outlining actions taken and timelines for completion.” 

Paragraph 5 of the President’s directive was even more explicit by saying “His Excellency expects that this matter will be treated with urgency and the highest level of coordination given its financial and socio-economic implications.”

But The Fourth Estate’s credible sources say, if the sense of urgency the President demanded on the matter was adhered to, it was just in terms of convening a meeting the next day after the President’s Directive.

Since then, the renegotiation process has become like a traditional court process – sitting and adjournments. The process, as The Fourth Estate has been made to understand, is under the auspices of Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice, Dr Justice Srem Sai, and Deputy Finance Minister, Hon. Thomas Ampem Nyarko, who are representing their respective Ministers.

The last meeting was held on June 11. After deliberations on what eventually turned out to be an unacceptable proposal from KGL, the meeting was adjourned, not to the following day or week. The next meeting was scheduled for July 3.

Experts say, given that there are known global best practices on contracts terms between Lottery Authorities and entities that perform the service the KGL performs, the re-negotiations between NLA and KGL could have been concluded in matter of days. It’s just about adopting the global best practices within the context of the World Lottery Association (WLA) or the Africa Lottery Association (ALA), they say.

Indeed, The Fourth Estate’s research has revealed that no other country in the world has given out the most lucrative part of its lottery business to a private firm under terms such as the existing NLA-KGL deal in Ghana. 

While the sitting and adjournments continue for almost three months after the President’s directive, the terrible NLA-KGL deal persists. Many are therefore wondering whether what is happening amounts to a tactical disregard for the President’s directive for an urgent process or a deliberate ‘go-slow’ approach.