Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson welcomed the National Lottery Authority’s (NLA) GH¢10 million dividend, noting it marked the resumption of payments to the Ministry of Finance after a hiatus since 2017. He said the taxpayer deserves more, but the dividend was a positive step.
The dividend was received from the NLA’s Board of Directors, led by Chairman Frederick Amissah and Director‑General Mohammed Abdul‑Salam. Forson added that the Ministry is working with the NLA and the Attorney‑General to review agreements that have limited the Authority’s returns to the government, with the review expected to conclude this month.
Some agreements, he said, had ceded an unreasonable share of the Authority’s revenue to other entities, depriving the state of funds that should have accrued to it. Forson urged the NLA to focus on its core mandate and avoid activities outside its statutory responsibilities, pledging to ensure the state received its due.
Chairman Amissah remarked that the dividend payment signals the beginning of reforms and improvements at the NLA, assuring the government that the Authority will work to deliver stronger returns in the years ahead.
The Minister concluded that the dividend should not be symbolic and that Ghana deserves better, calling for concrete steps to increase the NLA’s contributions to the national exchequer.
