The director general of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Samuel (Sammi) Awuku, has formally tendered his resignation to the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama.
Awuku, a former national organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and now the sitting Member of Parliament for Akwapim North, was appointed the director general of the NLA by the immediate past president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in August 2021.
Awuku’s letter was copied to the vice-president, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, to the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, Julius Debrah, and to the Executive Secretary to the president.
The others in copy are chair of the Public Services Commission, Accra, the Minister of Finance-designate, the chief director in the Ministry of Finance, the acting director of human resources at the National Lottery Authority and the finance director of the National Lottery Authority.
“I write to formally inform you of my resignation as director general of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) effective 13 January 2025.
“I have been elected as a Member of Parliament for the Akwapim North constituency and have been duly sworn in to represent my constituents.
“In the light of this new responsibility, I wish to focus my efforts on serving as a Member of Parliament,” Awuku’s resignation letter says.
“I was appointed as director general of the NLA in August 2021 and received confirmation from the Public Services Commission in July 2022.
“I kindly request that you appoint a replacement for the position of director general to facilitate a smooth transition and handover of responsibilities,” the letter further says.
National Lottery Authority
The NLA, where Awuku served, is a public service institution designed to provide a corporate platform that encourages creativity, innovation and best management practice.
The Authority was first established as the Department of National Lotteries in 1958 with a mandate to organise prize raffles for the public.
In 1960 the Lotto and Betting Act (Act 94) was passed into law to launch a lottery in Ghana with the aim of raising revenue to support national development.
Over the past 50 years, the NLA has evolved into an autonomous public service institution with a legal monopoly over the organisation of lotteries in Ghana.
It is one of the single most important contributors to government revenue and avenues to employment. In 2006 the passage of the National Lotto Act (Act 722) gave birth to the National Lottery Authority.
Story by Asaaseradio.com
