A debate over access to the Interministerial Committee Report on the National Lottery Authority, NLA, and KGL Technology Limited deal has intensified, with KGL stating that even it does not have a copy of the report despite being the principal party in the ongoing review and renegotiation. 
The statement, issued by business strategist and university lecturer Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku, comes after investigative media platform The Fourth Estate filed a request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) for a copy of the report. 
“Principal Party Has No Copy” Dr. Opoku said KGL Technology Limited, which is the direct subject of the review and renegotiation of its contracts with the NLA, has formally written to the Office of the President, the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Finance requesting a copy of the Interministerial Committee Report but has not received it.
“This implies that KGL is doing financial renegotiations with Government without a copy of and access to the Interministerial Committee Report on the NLA-KGL deal,” he stated. 
He noted that the ongoing financial renegotiations are being guided strictly by a letter from the Office of the President dated 7th April 2026, signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, in which KGL was copied. “If KGL, which was copied in the letter from the Office of the President dated 7th April 2026 to proceed with renegotiations with Government, has NO Copy of the Interministerial Committee Report, why must Fourth Estate, which was not copied and also NOT even a party to the review and renegotiations of the NLA-KGL deal, be given a copy simply because of the RTI Act, 2019 (Act 989)?” Dr. Opoku asked. 
RTI Exemptions Cited
In what he described as an educational note for The Fourth Estate and its audience, Dr. Opoku argued that not all government information is accessible under Act 989.
He cited multiple exemption clauses:
Section 5(1) – exempts information prepared for, or submitted to, the President or Vice-President, or containing opinions, advice, deliberations and recommendations to them, where disclosure is likely to undermine the deliberative process.
Section 6(1) – exempts Cabinet documents and information whose disclosure could prejudice policy formulation, frustrate a policy by premature disclosure, or undermine Cabinet deliberations.
Section 10 – exempts information prior to official publication where it contains trade secrets, financial or commercial information of monetary value to the State, or where disclosure could affect financial stability, disrupt business, or injure negotiations.
Section 11(1) – exempts trade secret, commercial, financial or technical information supplied in confidence where disclosure could prejudice competitive position or adversely affect negotiations.
Section 13(1) – exempts opinions, advice, recommendations, consultations or deliberations made to a public institution where disclosure would undermine its deliberative process.
He further argued that Section 17, which allows disclosure in the public interest, does not apply because the NLA-KGL contracts have been accepted by Government as legal per the April 7, 2026 presidential letter.
He added that the contracts do not pose an imminent threat to public safety, health, or morals, do not involve a miscarriage of justice or abuse of authority, and cannot be classified as a matter where “benefits of disclosure clearly outweigh the harm.” 
Dr. Opoku also questioned the status of the requester: “The question is very simple, is Fourth Estate/Media Foundation for West Africa a public or private institution? If public institutions do not have the Interministerial Committee Report on NLA-KGL deal, why must the Government give the Report to a private entity Fourth Estate/Media Foundation for West Africa?” He concluded by urging journalists to study Sections 5 to 17 of the RTI Act before filing requests under Section 18 or seeking redress under Sections 31 to 39.
“Fourth Estate and Sulemana Braimah need proper education about RTI Act, 2019 (Act 989), and I hope this short Article will guide them in their future information-seeking under RTI Act, 2019 (Act 989),” he said.
Background
The Interministerial Committee was set up to review contracts between the NLA and KGL Technology Limited. Government has since directed both parties to proceed with renegotiations based on recommendations in the April 7 presidential directive. The Fourth Estate is yet to respond publicly to Dr. Opoku’s claims.
