African Lotteries Association Meets to Chart Way Forward for Africa’s Lottery Sector
The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Mr Mohammed Abdul-Salam has noted that stronger collaboration and adoption of innovative practices are crucial for Africa’s lottery industry stressing the need for shared governance and responsible gaming across the continent.
According to him, these are critical to promoting good governance, sustainability and responsible gaming across the continent.
He made the remarks when he participated in the 2025 end-of-year review meeting of the African Lotteries Association (ALA), held in Accra.
Mr. Abdul-Salam, who doubles as Vice-President of the ALA, joined heads of national lottery bodies from across Africa to review activities for 2025 and outline strategic priorities for 2026.
The African Lotteries Association is made up of national lottery institutions on the continent and serves as a common platform for sharing best practices, strengthening governance protocols and enhancing cooperation within the lottery industry.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, Mr. Abdul-Salam explained that the gathering brought together the ALA Board to take stock of developments in 2025 and to consider operational activities and programs for the coming year.
According to him, the meeting also provided an opportunity for members to deliberate on the association’s calendar of events for 2026, with far-reaching decisions taken to advance the sector.
He noted that one of the key achievements of the ALA in 2025 was the successful organisation of capacity-building programs for member countries.
These included specialised training in cybersecurity for lottery operations held in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as blockchain administration training conducted in Morocco.
Mr. Abdul-Salam disclosed that in 2026, the ALA plans to roll out additional training programs and seminars in other critical areas of lottery governance and operations.
He said executive meetings would also be organised to address emerging industry issues, including the application of artificial intelligence in lottery systems and the promotion of responsible gaming.
Touching on the operations of the National Lottery Authority, the Director-General indicated that the NLA has outlined several reforms to be implemented in 2026. These reforms, he explained, will focus on strengthening lottery governance in Ghana and introducing new products to meet the expectations of the gaming public.
He cited the NLA’s flagship product, “5/90”, as an example of a sustainable and successful lottery product, noting that it remains a major strength of the Authority.
According to him, the product has attracted interest from other African countries, many of which are drawing inspiration from Ghana’s lottery model.
The African Lotteries Association, which currently has 16 member countries, is headed by the President of LONACI, the Loterie Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire, who also serves as its Director-General.
Mr. Abdul-Salam said the NLA’s active participation and strong relationship with the ALA as a prominent member and contributor to key decisions on lottery governance reflect the Authority’s leadership role in Africa’s lottery sector.
