Botswana backs Nigeria’s proposal for Pan African gaming council
Nigeria wants GRAF to evolve into a more institutionalised body capable of establishing minimum regulatory standards across African jurisdictions.
Botswana.- Botswana has endorsed a proposal from Nigeria to give Africa’s gaming regulators a more formal continental structure, following a call by the Lagos State gaming regulator and the Federation of State Gaming Regulators of Nigeria (FSGRN) to transform the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) into a Pan African Council of Gaming Regulators (PACoGR).
The proposal was put forward by Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) CEO Bashir Are during the 17th GRAF Annual Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, held from September 14 to 17. Are presented a paper titled “Cooperative Federalism in Nigeria: A Lesson for Africa” and called for GRAF to evolve beyond its existing forum structure.
The LSLGA said Are proposed a more institutionalised continental council capable of establishing minimum regulatory standards across African jurisdictions. The authority also confirmed its full jurisdictional membership of GRAF during the Maputo meeting, while Are was appointed to the forum’s Board of Trustees.
Botswana has now endorsed the proposal. Its Gambling Authority chief executive officer, Moruntshi Kemorwale, said the restructuring comes at a time of continued growth in Africa’s mobile and online gaming markets. He added that a continent-wide regulatory framework could help gambling authorities respond to emerging technologies and strengthen cooperation across jurisdictions. Botswana has been part of GRAF since its formation and hosted the forum’s 14th conference in Gaborone in 2023.
Nigeria’s case for a formal council centres on regulatory issues that increasingly extend beyond individual jurisdictions. Are has previously called for African regulators to cooperate on illegal operators, enforcement, regulatory standards and responsible gambling.
Lagos has also pursued regulatory cooperation with individual African jurisdictions. In an earlier discussion on illegal gambling, Are said Lagos had an agreement with Botswana under which the jurisdictions could act against operators that were illegal in one market despite holding a licence in another. He argued that cross-border cooperation was necessary to tackle illegal gambling.
GRAF’s existing mandate includes regulatory cooperation and harmonisation, allowing African regulators to share information, discuss regulatory matters and strengthen their capabilities. The proposed PACoGR would therefore build on the existing continental regulatory network rather than replace it with an unrelated organisation. The proposal is expected to be considered at GRAF’s Annual General Meeting in December 2026.
