In a significant development for the African Lotteries Association (ALA), Samuel Awuku, the director general of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) of Ghana, has been elected as the ALA’s vice-president.
The historic election took place at the association’s 2024 general meeting, held in Casablanca, Morocco on 8 March.
It marks the first time a director general of lotteries from an anglophone country has ascended to the vice-presidency of the ALA since it was established in December 1981.
The ALA general meeting, which saw members from across the continent come together, was convened to discuss the association’s activity report and elect new leaders for its executive committee.
Dramane Coulibaly, the director general of the Loterie Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire (LONACI) and co-opted member of the ALA to the World Lottery Association (WLA) as a regional representative, was re-elected as the ALA’s president for a four-year term.
Highly competitive
In a shift within the association’s leadership, Omar Skali, director general of the Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval (SOREC) in Morocco, has taken over from Younes El Meshrafi as general secretary.
The election of Ghana’s Sammi Awuku as vice-president signifies a step towards greater representation for anglophone countries within the predominantly francophone ALA.
Currently, it boasts 16 member bodies from 15 African countries, with Ghana and Liberia the only anglophone member countries.
Awuku’s election, which was highly competitive, is a significant vote of confidence by his colleagues, especially considering that the election took place in his absence.
It is a pivotal moment for the ALA, aiming to enhance the integration and representation of anglophone countries within the African association.
Although he was unable to attend the meeting in person because of a working visit to the National Lottery Authority in Accra by the president of Malta, His Excellency Dr George Vella, Awuku was well represented by Andrew Tuah, the head of operations at the NLA, and Johnson Adu, the NLA’s bilingual communications officer.
The newly elected members of the ALA executive committee are scheduled to be sworn in officially at an extraordinary general assembly in the coming weeks.
It is anticipated that the transition in leadership will bring fresh perspectives and renewed vigour to the ALA’s mission of advancing the interests of member bodies across the African continent, fostering collaboration and promoting ethical practices in the lottery industry.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
