KGL has grown into one of Africa’s strongest brands and continues to operate within the law, making it difficult for critics to undermine it with sensational claims, according to freelance journalist and Fintech and Marketing student Philip Akonnor.
He urged media organisations seeking to discredit emerging Ghanaian companies to reconsider their approach and offer constructive criticism instead.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 26, Mr Akonnor questioned why the Fourth Estate continued to publish what he described as unverified reports targeting a brand gaining international recognition.
“The Fourth Estate, since the beginning of 2025, has been pushing an agenda against KGL. This has attracted the attention of some of us,” he said.
According to him, many Ghanaians were now paying less attention to the repeated stories because they mostly rehashed old claims with sensational twists and offered no proof of corruption.
“If they are alleging that, KGL is generating GHS 3 billion revenue annually, the question any financial expert will ask is, what is the cost of KGL’s operations in terms of payments to winners of national lotto, cost of setting up and maintaining the I.T. infrastructure running the lottery product, cost of marketing, cost of technical fees to the mobile network operators etc”.?
He stressed that revenue should not be conflated with profit and urged critics to factor in operational costs.
Mr Akonnor also argued that receiving letters from the National Communications Authority (NCA) was routine and not an indication of wrongdoing.
“NCA writing to Telecos (Mobile Network Operators) to release KGL’s Transactions to NLA is nothing new, and can not be considered as a victory for Fourth Estate.
“This is the standard practice everywhere globally because the Mobile Network Operators are directly under the regulations of NCA, and as such cannot take instructions or directives from NLA.
“Therefore, it is very proper for NLA to rely on NCA, the regulator of the telecommunications industry to seek data from the Telecos. This process can not be deemed as suspicious and portray that the Telecos or KGL is hiding data from NLA”.
He said many Ghanaians were dissatisfied with the Fourth Estate’s handling of its reports on the NLA–KGL agreement, arguing the coverage appeared more aimed at damaging KGL than protecting the public interest.
The statement further questioned why intense scrutiny of KGL was emerging now instead of in earlier years—2019 to 2024—since the company began operations in 2019.
“So far, the defense statements from Razak Kojo Opoku, the former Public Relations Manager of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) are considered superior to the arguments put forward by them.
“Mr. Razak’s arguments are based on data and facts, and so far they have not been able to discredit the data and facts from Razak, the former PR Manager of NLA and that is a major worry and concern to many people who have been following their works”.
“Logically, how on earth would you blame KGL for NLA’s inability to transfer money paid by KGL to the Authority into the Consolidated Fund.”?
He added that KGL had paid its taxes to the GRA, noting that no statement had been issued by the Authority raising concerns about the company’s tax obligations.
The statement concluded that the allegations against KGL had failed to gain traction, demonstrating, in his view, that they were agenda-driven.
