…Akufo-Addo’s Cronies Blew Millions on Parties and Self-Promotion
…NLA A Secret ATM For Power-Hungry Elite.
…Awuku’s Presidential Ambitions Plundered the National Lottery Authority.
A series of explosive revelations, first reported by the digital newspaper The Fourth Estate, has lifted the lid on a systematic abuse of public funds at the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) during the Akufo-Addo administration.
The investigation points to the NLA operating as a ‘gravy train,’ with its former Director General, Sammy Awuku, allegedly diverting millions of cedis to political allies, celebrities, and key government figures rather than the intended beneficiaries of its ‘Good Causes Foundation.’
The scale of the alleged financial impropriety appears to be far greater than initially reported. Sources confirm that the NLA’s disbursements—made under the guise of donations—extended to over a thousand individuals and entities, sidestepping the poor and needy to reward politically connected individuals and those perceived to have supported the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Rewards for Loyalty
The list of recipients reads like a who’s who of Accra’s elite. Rapper Desmond Kwesi Blackmore, known as D-Black, is alleged to have received GHC80,000 for a social event. Former national football team captain Asamoah Gyan received GHC50,000 for a memoir launch, while broadcaster Nathan Kwabena Anokyi Adisi, Bola Ray, allegedly received GHC30,000.
The largesse also extended to the political sphere. Koku Anyidoho, a former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is reported to have received a GHC50,000 donation for the Atta Mills Foundation.
This payout is seen as a reward for his public break with his former party and his vocal support for the government.
The Inner Circle Benefits
The NLA’s alleged patronage extended directly into the heart of the administration. Then-Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Pare, is said to have received GHC350,000 for a post-independence party, while then-Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, allegedly received GHC570,000 for a conference.
The revelations highlight a pattern of using state institutions to fund government activities and private interests, in violation of the NLA’s statutory mandate under Act 722.
A particularly telling detail involves the Africa Prosperity Network Awards, an event created by Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, a powerful cousin of former President Akufo-Addo.
The NLA reportedly funneled GHC250,000 to this awards program, confirming earlier reports by the digital newspaper WhatsUp News about Otchere Darko’s alleged use of his influence to benefit from state resources.
Personal Ambitions and Self-Serving Awards
The former NLA chief, Sammy Awuku, is also implicated in a scheme to advance his own political career. With known presidential ambitions, Awuku allegedly used NLA funds to bankroll awards ceremonies on the condition that he himself would be named a winner.
The Ghana CEOs Summit and Excellence Awards, which received a GHC350,000 donation from the NLA, named Awuku “Public Sector CEO of the year” for two consecutive years.
This apparent abuse of position for self-aggrandizement mirrors a broader pattern of patronage politics that defined the Akufo-Addo era.
In 2020, the Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC) reportedly donated GHC1.8 million to the hometown chief of the President, Osagyefuor Amoatia Ofori Panin, for his enstoolment anniversary and personal projects.
The Rebecca Foundation, run by the former First Lady, also allegedly received GHC120,000 from the GNPC.
The financial network allegedly extended to the President’s own family. In 2018, the state-owned GCB Bank, then headed by Ray Sowah—an uncle of Rebecca Akufo-Addo—paid GHC227,000 to My Sister’s Keeper Foundation, a newly formed entity created by the President’s daughters.
These revelations underscore a worrying trend of public institutions being used as personal and political coffers, raising serious questions about accountability and good governance in Ghana.