Ghana Is Sitting On GHS 2 Billion For Education – But Collecting GHS 10 Million

For several weeks our children were left idle and loitering at home; not because they wanted to, but because their teachers had embarked on a nationwide strike over promotion arrears of some GHS 400 million. Government says there is no money and had since come into some form of payment agreement with the striking teachers for them to return to the classroom.

But there is money. GHS 2 billion of it. Every year.

I was disturbed to learn that when National Lottery Authority (NLA) recently presented GHS 10 million to the Ministry of Education, the sector Minister himself said it was not enough. He is right. It is not enough. And since 2018, government has received almost nothing directly from lottery into the Consolidated Fund (for educational purposes).

Compare: New York State Lottery — one state — gave $3.6 billion (GHS 57 billion) to schools in that state last year alone. Ghana, where lottery has become our culture, gave a paltry sum of GHS 10 million.

The multimillion dollar question on my mind is where does our lottery profits go?

Industry data shows 60% of Ghana’s lotto staking goes to Banker-to-Banker operators who pay zero tax to government . The remaining licensed market loses 10-15% as foreign technology fees. Government is left with what I describe as ‘mere crumbs’.

We cannot continue with this.

I therefore propose government considers an opportunity that brings GHS 2 billion without new taxes, and without sacking anyone in lottery:

1. No one loses job: NLA staff are not laid off — they become regulators like NCA/GRA with better tools. Current licensed operators keep their licenses. Banker-to-Banker writers — over 50,000 young men — are not arrested; they are registered, given machines, and become legal agents.

2. Government collects automatically: 20% of every ticket goes live by technology to a Ghana Lottery Education Trust Fund before operator profit. Published monthly.

3. Money stays in Ghana: Reserve 40% of 15 new national licenses for indigenous Ghanaian lotto businessmen, not front companies.

If Ghana collects same proportion of GDP as New York (0.146% of GDP), with our 2025 GDP of $114bn, we will get GHS 2.07bn per year. Let us call it GHS 2bn.

GHS 2bn can pay all teacher arrears in 3 months, pay the deprived area allowance that they are crying about, and build 500 six-classroom blocks. No IMF needed.

This is not about fighting the NLA since the authority has tried its best. This is about making NLA a world-class regulator that collects GHS 2bn instead of GHS 10m.

Since 2018 we collected almost nothing. New York collected $3.6bn every year. Same gamblers, different system.

Let us give lottery business to real Ghanaian businessmen. Let the NLA regulate and collect GHS 2bn, protect all workers, and bring our children back to school.

 

 

Article By A Concerned Ghanaian And Education Advocate