Musa Mngadi, ALGA: “Our goal is to reduce operational burdens not just for operators but all stakeholders in the gambling ecosystem”

Focus Gaming News spoke with Musa Mngadi, CEO of the African Lotteries and Gaming Association, about the main conclusions from ALGA CEO’s Forum, and the association’s plan to build a cohesive and thriving gaming sector across Africa.

Exclusive interview.- Following the inaugural African Lotteries and Gaming Association (ALGA) CEO’s Forum, which convened regulators and gaming executives from 23 African nations, the continent’s gaming industry is at a critical inflexion point. Tasked with navigating the immense opportunities of a burgeoning digital market against the challenges of regulatory fragmentation, the ALGA is charting a new course. In an exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, ALGA’s CEO, Musa Mngadi, delves into the association’s strategic blueprint. He addresses the urgent need to harmonise policy, leverage Africa’s mobile money ecosystem for sustainable growth, and counter the threat of illicit operators, outlining a clear vision to transform the continent into a unified, transparent, and attractive market for long-term investment.

The first-ever ALGA CEO’s Forum, “The Black Table,” brought together regulators and gaming executives from 23 African countries. Beyond the call for collaboration, what are the three most tangible policy insights or implementation lessons derived from these discussions that ALGA is now actively translating into guidance for African gaming operators and regulators to drive innovation and sustainable growth?

From the discussions at the first-ever ALGA CEO’s Forum, three major policy insights emerged — each now being translated into tangible frameworks to guide regulators and operators across the continent.

A) Regulatory Harmonisation & Cross-Border Standards:

While fragmented national frameworks are creating bottlenecks for investments and enabling illicit operators to exploit regulatory gaps, ALGA, through the help of its advisory council, which includes esteemed professionals, academia and other gambling body associations are drafting continental guidance notes in order to encourage our regulators to align themselves regarding licensing procedures and challenges, tax regimes that are affecting operators, and strengthening of compliance protocols. This also includes provisions for cross-border data sharing through the CEO Forum PEER-to-PEER platform, which encourages mutual recognition of operator licenses. We aim to reduce duplication and create a more conducive investment climate.

B) Consumer Protection & Responsible Gaming as Core Governance ALGA is developing and incorporating minimum responsible gaming standards for adoption across our members’ jurisdictions. These cover mandatory self-exclusion tools, dynamic advertising codes of conduct and their impact in each region, and transparent reporting on social responsibility.

C) Digital Innovation & Financial Integrity

Mobile money and other digital channels are Africa’s greatest strength, but also its greatest vulnerability if left unregulated. ALGA is prioritising best-practice frameworks for integrating fintech and gaming oversight that will include guidelines on digital KYC, anti-money laundering (AML)

At the Forum, it was revealed that Africa has over 650 million smartphone users and more than $800bn in mobile money transactions annually. How is ALGA using these insights to guide its members in adopting technology, particularly regarding the integration of mobile money and data analytics, while promoting responsible and sustainable growth across the continent?

ALGA is leveraging these insights to guide its members in adopting technology that enhances regulatory effectiveness, financial inclusion, and public trust. By strategic integration of mobile money/wallets into licensing, tax collection, and consumer protection frameworks, regulators can reduce cash-based vulnerabilities, expand reach to underserved populations, and ensure transparent revenue flows, which enhance responsible gambling, anti-illegal gambling measures and anti-money laundering measures. The adoption of analytics tools is pivotal to regulators, and through workshops with our technical partnerships, a shared peer-to-peer dashboard, members will be equipped to make evidence-based decisions supporting policy innovation and responsible gambling. 

The challenge of regulatory fragmentation extends across taxation, licensing, and compliance, with varied GGR rates and complex dual oversight, which deters long-term Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). What specific framework or mechanism is ALGA prioritising to harmonise critical areas like gross gaming revenue (GGR) taxation and KYC/AML standards across key jurisdictions to reduce operational burdens and attract FDI?

Building on what we’ve discussed, our goal is to reduce operational burdens not just for operators but all stakeholders in the gambling ecosystem, and enhance the continent’s attractiveness to long-term Foreign Direct Investment by driving a continent-wide peer review that outlines investor protections, regulatory predictability, and clear dispute resolution protocols, enhancing stability and transparency in our continent. 

Lagos regulator Bashir warned that Africa risks becoming a “dumping ground” for unregulated gaming due to a lack of standardisation and enforcement. What are ALGA’s immediate operational strategies and planned cross-border agreements to counter illicit gambling and ensure enforcement, especially concerning unauthorised operators leveraging digital platforms across different national borders?

Africa will choose to be a “dumping ground” only if it chooses to be one. Our esteemed CEO, Bashir, has raised his hand for a call to action. Those who can must do everything in their power to protect Africa, its future, and its integrity. ALGA has heeded that call. One of our operational strategies is to develop a business case study with all relevant stakeholders, to not criminalise Fafie [a form of illegal lottery in South Africa based on Chinese gambling games] but to get it regulated for the benefit of our economy. One of the key contributions made in this study was from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Senegal National Lottery (LONASE), Mr Moustapha Camara. Once completed, that study will be shared with all relevant departments of authority, including law enforcement. 

Regulators can only work within the confines of their regulatory framework and mandate. We need to capacitate stakeholders like law enforcement and other supporting departments and associations that support law enforcement to prioritise dealing with illegal gambling in all various channels. 

“Those who can must do everything in their power to protect Africa, its future, and its integrity.”

Musa Mngadi, CEO of the ALGA.

Having established itself as a driving force in policy, regulatory collaboration, and innovation, how is ALGA continuing to build a cohesive and thriving gaming sector across Africa, and what is the key strategic balance point between the massive opportunities for digital growth and the necessity of rigorous, proactive, responsible practices?

Africans now have the opportunity to build their own unique regulatory laws, policies and frameworks. It has proven in many jurisdictions that good governance, stability and integrity support good investment, like in Guinea and Ethiopia and their adoption of their digital transformation in the lottery. As we enjoy this growth, it’s important to remember that the only way to protect this market is to protect its participants. 

“Africans now have the opportunity to build their own unique regulatory laws, policies and frameworks.”

Musa Mngadi, CEO of the ALGA.

The gaming sector is emerging as a significant driver of socio-economic development in Africa. How is its growth creating tangible benefits for communities, local businesses, and broader society, and how do you see these specific community impacts expanding and being quantified through standardised Social Return on Investment (SROI) metrics in the coming year?

With the expansion of the gaming sector, we have witnessed key sponsorships and collaborations that are of significant value and unprecedented by gambling operators. We have also seen visible community impact on SROI through frameworks focused on education, youth employment, engagement and local content creation and delivering tangible benefits. Defining SROI standards for African operators and integrating them with their Environmental, Social and Governance reporting disclosures will provide transparency and clear measuring metrics. 

How is ALGA engaging strategically with existing regional bodies to accelerate the adoption of unified gaming standards and policy consensus at a supranational level, thereby overcoming political friction at the national level?

There will always be political friction, whether national or regional, and there will always be stakeholders and associations where people will feel as if there are duplications in some processes. ALGA doesn’t stand to compete with or replace any association or any other stakeholder in the gambling and lotteries ecosystem. In fact, we aim to foster collaboration. The growing number of responsible gaming associations in Africa is a testament to the successful growth of the gaming industry, but also the successful harmonisation of policies and frameworks working within the regional bodies with which ALGA continues to strategically align itself.

Attracting sophisticated FDI requires world-class governance and transparency. What clear governance benchmarks—specifically regarding licensing transparency, risk mitigation, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting—is ALGA promoting to transform the perception of the African gaming market and guarantee long-term investor confidence?

Licensing transparency, risk mitigation, such as illegal gambling enforcement and player protection protocols, CSR and ESG reporting are governance benchmarks ALGA is advancing as assurance for long-term investor confidence. Our commitment to advancing the perception of the African market is evident through the formulation of a quarterly magazine spread that will showcase all the regulators and the active good work they are doing, and the measures they are taking to ensure a fair and competitive market is being fostered through good governance in a well-regulated system. Not only will it showcase regulators, but also operators in those jurisdictions and technical partners within the Gambling sector. The magazine is being curated by one of our media partners, the Mail and Guardian, and will be distributed across all the jurisdictions where our CEOs preside. It’s no small feat to achieve our mission; there is always a new summit worth reaching, and embracing the partnerships and alliances we forge on the way is something that we profoundly treasure – we thank Focus Gaming News for embracing ALGA and giving us the opportunity to contribute positively to the African Agenda.

Looking forward, if ALGA achieves its vision of a unified, responsible, and booming market, how will you define the success and legacy of ALGA, not just in terms of revenue and scale, but in terms of measurable positive change in African regulatory maturity and social upliftment by the end of the decade?

ALGA is pleased with its achievements for its contribution in unifying Africa through its initiative of the CEO forum, where it brings not only gambling regulators but lottery regulators to come together and create a common vision for Africa By Africa. Our success is defined by the appetite of our regulators and all our stakeholders on the need to unify and collaborate with each other, knowing that as a collective we can achieve so much more for our African people. Revenue and CSR are good terms of measure for growth, but it’s the protection of our people, especially the youth, that will bring a lasting, sustainable gambling market. ALGA’s legacy will always be measured by the people we serve. The global gambling industry can only sustain itself through encouraging its participants to practise good gambling habits. As we observe the substantial growth in the African market, Africa’s time is now, and Africa is on stage for all of us to see. ALGA will continue in its endeavour to be her supporting Act.