The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fidelity Bank to provide new Point of Sale (POS) machines, in a move aimed at modernizing lottery operations, improving efficiency, and increasing revenue for the state.
The agreement, signed in Accra on Tuesday, July 21, forms part of the NLA’s ongoing reforms to digitize lottery staking and phase out manual, paper-based transactions nationwide.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Director-General of the NLA, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, said the Authority had adopted a private-partnership model after previous attempts to modernize the lottery sector had failed.
He explained that the arrangement would enable Lotto Marketing Companies to access modern POS machines without the Authority bearing the full cost of the investment.
“Having learnt from past attempts, we thought that the best thing is to invite a private partnership to let them do investments in the machines, so that our Lotto Marketing Companies can compete favourably in the market,” he said.
“The ultimate aim is to ensure more money comes to the system and generate revenue for the state. We will enforce regulations when we get the machines. Nobody should be seen using pen and paper by the end of July.”
Mr Abdul-Salam said the NLA expects lottery staking to transition fully to electronic platforms by the end of July, adding that the Authority is determined to eliminate manual staking.
“By the end of July, no one should be seen using pen and paper. We need to compel people to stake through the electronic equipment,” he stated.
According to him, the transition is intended to modernize lottery operations, improve efficiency and enhance transparency in the staking process.
He disclosed that the partnership follows nearly a year of technical assessments, commercial negotiations and operational planning to replace ageing lottery terminals and unreliable second-generation (2G) connectivity with modern POS devices supported by improved network infrastructure.
Mr Abdul-Salam said the Authority had been preparing for the transition for some time and believes the conditions are now favourable for full implementation.
As part of the new arrangement, the NLA has increased the instant win payment limit at POS terminals from GH¢1,200 to GH¢30,000.
“We have reached agreement with Fidelity; presently, instant wins are about GH¢1,200, and we are inching up to GH¢30,000 with this new arrangement,” he said.
He further revealed that winners of larger prizes would have the option of receiving immediate payment through Fidelity Bank. Under the arrangement, the bank will settle qualifying winnings upfront while the NLA reimburses the bank in accordance with an agreed framework.
Mr Abdul-Salam said the initiative would improve customer experience and help position the Authority more competitively in an increasingly challenging lottery market.
Officials of Fidelity Bank described the partnership as part of the bank’s commitment to leveraging financial technology to support digital transformation and improve service delivery within Ghana’s lottery ecosystem.
The NLA said the nationwide deployment of the new POS machines forms part of its broader strategy to modernize lottery operations, enhance transparency and reduce reliance on manual lottery staking while boosting revenue mobilization for the state.
