Former Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Samuel Awuku, has mounted a strong defense of his tenure at the Authority, dismissing
Former Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Samuel Awuku, has mounted a strong defense of his tenure at the Authority, dismissing claims by investigative outfit The Fourth Estate that funds meant for the poor and vulnerable under the NLA’s Good Causes Foundation were diverted to glamorous events and questionable sponsorships.
In a lengthy response to the publication, Awuku described the report as “mischief,” accusing the journalists of deliberately blurring the lines between the NLA’s marketing sponsorships and the core activities of the Good Causes Foundation.
According to him, this conflation created a misleading impression that resources meant for orphans, the sick, and the needy were spent on luxury events and awards galas.
Background
The controversy stems from an investigative story by The Fourth Estate titled “NLA Good Causes? How Funds Meant for the Poor and Orphans Were Blown on Awards, Galas and the Rich.”
The report alleged that during Awuku’s tenure as Director-General, the Authority funded high-profile sponsorships and events at the expense of its statutory responsibility to channel lottery proceeds toward vulnerable groups.
The NLA Good Causes Foundation was formally established in October 2021 under Sammi Awuku’s leadership, following the restructuring of the Authority’s Special Projects Department. Rooted in Section 2(3) of the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722), the Foundation was mandated to support the needy, aged, orphans, destitute children, and the physically or mentally afflicted.
Its interventions were to focus on four pillars: Health, Education, Youth and Sports Development, and Arts and Culture.
Awuku’s Rebuttal
Sammi Awuku argued that the Fourth Estate failed to distinguish between the NLA’s Good Causes Foundation and the Caritas Lottery Platform—the latter being the Authority’s revenue-generating mechanism.
“The NLA Caritas Platform has Corporate Ghana as its primary stakeholder,” Awuku explained. “Sponsorships for events such as the Africa Prosperity Dialogue and the Ghana CEO Summit were marketing strategies to engage industry leaders, expand the platform, and generate revenue. It is from these revenues that the Good Causes Foundation is funded.”
He said this approach transformed the Caritas Platform’s finances from “next to nothing” in 2021 to over GHS 11 million by December 2024.
Sammi Awuku emphasized that sponsorships and brand partnerships were not wasteful expenditures but part of a deliberate strategy to raise the Authority’s profile, secure collaborations, and boost the revenue base for the Good Causes Foundation.
Impact Projects Undertaken
Highlighting the Foundation’s achievements, Sammi.Awuku listed several projects across the country, which he said the Fourth Estate downplayed.
These included:
Health: Construction of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Ghana Hospital; donations of incubators to hospitals in Kumasi and Tetteh Quarshie; refurbishment of wards at Tema Polyclinic and Koforidua Central Hospital; and medical outreach programs that served over 6,000 people in deprived communities.
Education: Building of classroom blocks in Akyem Dwenase, refurbishment of Gonten and Mamfe Presby schools, scholarships for brilliant but needy students, and construction of sports facilities for senior high schools.
Youth and Sports Development: Support for football clubs including Hearts of Oak, Kotoko, Hasaacas Ladies, and Ampem Darkoa Ladies, as well as training initiatives for young entrepreneurs.
Arts and Culture: Sponsorship of cultural festivals like Hogbetsotso, Fetu Afahye, and Odwira, and support for the Citi FM Heritage Caravan.
He stressed that these projects touched the lives of over one million people nationwide and even provided relief for disaster victims, persons with disabilities, and NLA staff who required medical or educational assistance.
On Awards And Sponsorships
Addressing allegations that the NLA used Good Causes funds to “buy awards,” Sammi Awuku clarified that while the Authority sponsored events such as the EMY Awards and Ghana CEO Summit, these were strategic marketing initiatives.
“Although I may have received an award or two at such sponsored events, the intention was not to purchase recognition. Many award invitations were declined as a matter of principle,” he said, adding that most awards he received reflected the collective effort of his management and staff.
Governance and Oversight
Sammi Awuku now MP for Akuapem North further explained that any sponsorship above GHS 100,000 required approval from the NLA Governing Board, which had representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, and Attorney-General’s Department.
Some sponsorships, he said, were undertaken at the behest of supervisory ministries and could not be ignored.
Global Context
Drawing parallels with international best practice, Awuku cited World Lottery Association (WLA) reports that member lotteries had contributed USD 83 billion to good causes in the last three years.
He argued that Ghana’s NLA, under his watch, replicated these global standards, a feat acknowledged by international figures such as former WLA President Rebecca Paul and former Maltese President Dr. George Vella.
Conclusion
Sammi Awuku maintained that he left the NLA in a stronger financial position than he met it in 2021, having turned losses into profits while building a sustainable foundation for corporate social responsibility.
“I worked diligently, served with integrity, and did my best to project and leave the NLA in a much better state than I found it,” he stated.
“While The Fourth Estate seeks to highlight the ills of the NLA Good Causes Foundation, an accurate version would be worth everyone’s while.”
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