{"id":15842,"date":"2026-01-09T08:11:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T11:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=15842"},"modified":"2026-04-19T10:11:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T13:11:43","slug":"ghanas-national-lottery-authority-launches-major-2026-reform-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/ghanas-national-lottery-authority-launches-major-2026-reform-drive","title":{"rendered":"Ghana\u2019s National Lottery Authority launches major 2026 reform drive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Director-General Mohammed Abdul-Salam unveils governance changes, technology upgrades and expanded player offerings to modernise the lottery and strengthen public trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Ghana.- <strong>Ghana\u2019s National Lottery Authority<\/strong> (NLA) is preparing for a <strong>transformative<\/strong> 2026, unveiling a comprehensive <strong>reform<\/strong> programme designed to <strong>modernise <\/strong>operations, strengthen governance and <strong>expand<\/strong> offerings for <strong>players<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Director-General <strong>Mohammed Abdul-Salam<\/strong> outlined the <strong>plans<\/strong>, highlighting <strong>improvements <\/strong>to internal systems and the way the lottery serves <strong>the public<\/strong>. \u201cIn 2026, there are some key reforms we intend to implement as far as the <strong>governance <\/strong>of the National Lottery Authority is concerned. We will also be introducing more products for the <strong>gaming<\/strong> public,\u201d said Abdul-Salam, according to GhanaWeb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abdul-Salam made these remarks following the <strong>African Lotteries Association\u2019s<\/strong> (ALA) end-of-year review meeting in Accra, where he serves as Vice President. The meeting reviewed 2025 operations and charted plans for the year ahead, reinforcing the Authority\u2019s focus on governance and <strong>product<\/strong> expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NLA is also modernising its <strong>retail <\/strong>infrastructure. Abdul-Salam told Ghana\u2019s Parliament that the Authority plans to deploy approximately 5,000 new point-of-sale <strong>terminals<\/strong> through a partnership with Fidelity Bank. The new terminals will replace <strong>outdated <\/strong>equipment, reduce reliance on informal outlets and extend the Authority\u2019s reach <strong>nationwide<\/strong>, improving transparency and operational oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tracking and transparency for players<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This follows several initiatives introduced in recent months. On <strong>September 1, 2025<\/strong>, the NLA rolled out a QR-enabled <strong>sticker system<\/strong> for agents and \u201clotto writers\u201d registered under private operators. The system allows enforcement teams to verify licensed operators in real time and distinguish them from <strong>unlicenced<\/strong> sellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abdul-Salam added: \u201cThe stickers, which display operator details and a compliance QR code, are part of broader efforts to rationalise operations and ensure licensed activity is more easily <strong>trackable<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>December 2025<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong> the NLA moved its live draws to <strong>Ghana Television<\/strong> (GTV), airing immediately after the 8pm <strong>prime-time<\/strong> news. The change aims to increase <strong>visibility<\/strong> and boost public confidence in the lottery process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of its <strong>crackdown<\/strong> on illegal activity, the Authority issued public warnings in <strong>January 2026<\/strong>, urging players to use only <strong>authorised <\/strong>platforms and licenced agents when placing bets. The move reinforces the NLA\u2019s commitment to protecting <strong>players<\/strong> and maintaining the integrity of the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With these measures, the NLA is positioning itself for a year of <strong>transformation<\/strong>, combining governance reforms, technology upgrades and strengthened <strong>transparency<\/strong> to serve the gaming public more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ghana\u2019s approach is also drawing attention across the continent. Its <strong>5\/90 lottery<\/strong> model and governance measures are regarded by industry observers as influential for operators and <strong>regulators <\/strong>in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, offering guidance on modernising lottery operations and improving regulatory <strong>oversight<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/01\/GHANA-BENCHMARK-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href='https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/africas-gambling-industry-looks-to-ghanas-5-90-lottery-to-lead-the-continent-in-2026'>Africa\u2019s gambling industry looks to Ghana\u2019s 5\/90 Lottery to lead the continent in 2026<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Director-General Mohammed Abdul-Salam unveils governance changes, technology upgrades and expanded player offerings to modernise the lottery and strengthen public trust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":15846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Ghana's National Lottery Authority (NLA) is implementing a comprehensive reform program for 2026, focusing on modernizing operations, strengthening governance, and expanding player offerings. Key initiatives include deploying 5,000 new point-of-sale terminals, introducing a QR-enabled sticker system for agent verification, and moving live draws to Ghana Television to enhance transparency and public trust while combating illegal gambling. This approach is also influencing regulatory and operational strategies across other African markets.","focusai_entities":"National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mohammed Abdul-Salam, Fidelity Bank, African Lotteries Association (ALA), GhanaWeb, Ghana Television (GTV)","focusai_location":"Ghana, Accra, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.8), product_ux (0.7), tech_data (0.9), marketing_crm (0.7), payments_fraud_aml (0.7), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.9), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"NLA Reform KPIs?","query":"What specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will the National Lottery Authority utilize to measure the success and impact of its 2026 governance and technology reforms on GGR and NGR?"},{"label":"Regional Regulatory Impact?","query":"How will Ghana's 5\/90 lottery model and enhanced governance frameworks specifically influence regulatory compliance and B2B\/B2C licensing strategies in neighboring African markets like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60016,60012],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-15842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","category-west-africa","tag-lottery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2809"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15842"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15884,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15842\/revisions\/15884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}