Director-General of Ghana’s National Lottery Authority (NLA), Samuel Awuku, has secured the position of Vice President at the ALA’s General Meeting convened in Casablanca, Morocco, on March 8, 2024.
This historic appointment marks the first time a Director-General from an Anglophone nation has risen to the Vice Presidency of ALA since its inception in December 1981.
The ALA General Meeting, drawing members from across the continent, convened to discuss the association’s Activity Report and elect new leaders for its Executive Committee.
Dramane Coulibaly, Director-General of Loterie Nationale de Cote d’Ivoire (LONACI) and Co-Opted Member of ALA to the World Lottery Association (WLA) as a Regional Representative, has been re-elected as ALA President for a four-year term.
In a notable shift within the association’s leadership, Omar Skali, Director-General of SOREC in Morocco, succeeds Younes El Meshrafi as the General Secretary.
Awuku’s election to Vice President signifies a significant stride toward greater representation for Anglophone countries within ALA, which currently boasts 16 member bodies from 15 African nations, with Ghana and Liberia as the sole Anglophone members.
Despite Awuku’s absence at the meeting due to the Working Visit of Malta’s President, H.E. Dr. George Vella, Andrew Tuah, NLA’s Head of Operations, and Johnson Adu, the Bilingual Communications Officer, ably represented him.
This landmark election underscores a pivotal moment for ALA, aiming to bolster the integration and representation of Anglophone nations within the association.
The newly elected members of the ALA Executive Committee are set to be formally sworn in at an Extraordinary General Assembly in the coming weeks.
This transition in leadership is poised to inject fresh perspectives and renewed energy into ALA’s mission of advancing the interests of member bodies across Africa, fostering collaboration, and upholding ethical standards within the lottery industry.