The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) has come under renewed public scrutiny after the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report uncovered procurement irregularities and revenue collection lapses that exposed the Authority to financial losses and possible waste of public funds.
The report cited the award of a GH¢400,000 publicity contract to online media platform MyNewsGH.com through a single-source procurement process without the mandatory approval of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Board.
According to the Auditor-General, the contract, signed on September 1, 2025, was for a 10-month period to provide publicity services for the NLA.
The scope of work included the publication of stories, advertisements, promotional campaigns and interviews on the Authority’s lottery products and draws.
The report disclosed that the NLA paid GH¢400,000 under the contract, with GH¢370,000 released to the contractor after the deduction of GH¢30,000 as withholding tax.
Procurement law breached.
The Auditor-General observed that management failed to obtain approval from the Public Procurement Authority before resorting to single-source procurement, contrary to the Public Procurement Act.
The report noted that bypassing the required approval process undermined transparency, fairness and competitiveness in public procurement and made it impossible to establish whether the Authority obtained value for money.
“The absence of the mandatory approval raises concerns over compliance with procurement regulations and weakens public confidence in the management of public resources,” the report indicated.
Sanctions recommended.
To ensure accountability, the Auditor-General recommended that sanctions provided under Section 92 of the Public Procurement Act be applied against officers responsible for the breach.
The report further urged the management of the National Lottery Authority to strictly adhere to procurement laws and ensure that all future procurement processes comply with the legal requirements.
Responding to the audit findings, management of the NLA acknowledged the observation, explaining that the contract had since expired.
The Authority assured the auditors that all future procurements would comply with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act.
GH¢1 million outstanding.
Beyond the procurement infractions, the Auditor-General also uncovered weaknesses in the Authority’s revenue collection mechanisms.
The report revealed that 16 Private Lotto Operators (PLOs) failed to honour their contractual obligation to contribute a total of GH¢1 million to the Good Causes Foundation.
The Foundation relies on such contributions to finance social intervention programmes and other public welfare initiatives.
The Auditor-General warned that the failure to recover the outstanding contributions could negatively affect the implementation of planned projects and limit the Foundation’s capacity to fulfil its mandate.
Recovery unverified.
Although management informed auditors that GH¢700,000 of the outstanding amount had been recovered as of August 30, 2025, the report stated that no documentary evidence was presented to verify the claim during the audit.
Consequently, the Auditor-General directed the Authority to recover the full outstanding amount and ensure strict enforcement of the provisions contained in the provisional licence agreements signed with all Private Lotto Operators.
Call for accountability.
The findings add to growing calls for stronger financial discipline and compliance with procurement laws across public institutions.
The Auditor-General stressed that strict adherence to procurement regulations, coupled with effective revenue recovery mechanisms, remains essential to safeguarding public funds, promoting transparency and ensuring that state institutions deliver value for money in the use of taxpayers’ resources.
