The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mohammed Abdul-Salam, has visited China, as part of efforts to advance the Authority’s digital transformation agenda.

The strategic visit, involved high-level meetings with Genlot Game Technology and participation in the Huawei Executive Exchange.

 These engagements form part of the NLA’s broader vision to modernise Ghana’s lottery systems, extend services to underserved rural areas, and tackle unregulated paper-based operations.

The visit commenced in Shenzhen with a detailed session at Genlot Game Technology’s headquarters.

 There, the Director-General met with top executives, including Genlot’s CEO, Franz Liu, and Chief Technology Officer, Hui Shou, alongside key personnel from the company’s international business development and research teams.

Representatives from Huawei, including Meng Gencang, Government and Public Sector Solutions Expert, also took part in the discussions.

Genlot showcased a range of lottery innovations, particularly its secure and scalable Point-of-Sale (POS) systems designed for deployment in low-infrastructure environments.

Mr Abdul-Salam, expressed keen interest in these technologies as a means of digitising rural lottery operations and curbing illegal ticket sales.

Huawei, highlighted the potential integration of Genlot’s hardware with its own cloud and cybersecurity infrastructure to establish a secure and seamless operational ecosystem.

In addition, the NLA team, participated in the Huawei Executive Exchange at Huawei’s facilities in Shenzhen.

This event, featured presentations from senior Huawei experts, including Xia Zun, Chief Operating Officer of Huawei Global Public Sector Business Unit, and Ian Zhu, Head of Huawei Ghana’s Enterprise Business Group.

 The sessions demonstrated how Huawei’s AI tools and cloud platforms, could enhance efficiency, data protection, and public service delivery.

Exhibitions held at the Shannon and Planck Halls, highlighted next-generation solutions, including smart city applications and 5G connectivity—technologies with the potential to significantly boost Ghana’s digital infrastructure within the lottery sector.

The Ghanaian delegation, also took part in facility tours and cultural exchanges in Dongguan and Shenzhen.

 They visited Huawei’s European Town campus in Dongguan, explored the Sanyapo Library to better understand the company’s innovation ecosystem, and tested advanced smart devices at Huawei’s flagship store.

The visit concluded with a farewell dinner and a city tour, reinforcing the spirit of partnership and shared innovation between the NLA and its Chinese counterparts.

Several key outcomes emerged from the trip. Genlot’s POS systems were identified as crucial to the NLA’s strategy for rural expansion, while Huawei’s digital infrastructure was considered vital for the security and scalability of the Authority’s operations.

Both companies expressed a strong commitment to collaborative pilot projects and capacity-building initiatives aimed at driving innovation in Ghana’s lottery sector.

To take these initiatives forward, the NLA will establish a technical committee to evaluate the proposed technologies. Discussions for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Ghana, to be led by Ian Zhu, are expected to begin shortly.

A follow-up virtual session with Genlot’s international team is also being arranged to finalise procurement timelines.