The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: Abdul Salam Mohammed, the former regional secretary of the National Democratic Congress in the Northern Region, has accepted his appointment as acting Executive Officer of the National Lottery Authority (NLA).

He reported to work on Friday and held his first meeting with the staff of the Authority at a durbar held in his honour.

“I am the youngest staff member of the NLA from this day forward. I am not here to break it. Let nobody think that I am the new Director General, and my objective is to destroy what has been built and reconstruct what I think will be my own.

“We have been given a responsibility, and we should succeed or fail together. I think that everything starts from leadership,” he said.

President John Dramani Maham appointed Mohammed Abdul-Salam as the acting CEO of the National Lottery Authority (NLA).

The appointment is in accordance with Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and Section 45(1) of the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722).

The appointment which took effect on January 15 was met with lot of criticism from a section of the Muslim populace who described the appointment as shameful and disrespectful.

The announcement was made via an official letter signed by Dr. Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, on January 15.

The President expressed his best wishes to Mr. Abdul-Salam in his new role, marking this as a significant appointment for the authority and a disdain for Islam, a religion that forbids any Muslim from being directly or indirectly involved in gambling.

Abdul-Salam holds an International Executive Master of Business Administration with a major in Strategy and Consultancy Management from the Paris Graduate School of Management.

He also possesses a postgraduate diploma from the same institution and a higher national diploma in accountancy from Tamale Polytechnic.

He received his basic education at Sakasaka L/A Primary and Middle School between 1978 and 1988.

Prior to his appointment, Abdul-Salam served as senior manager at the Northern Regional Office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

He had previously worked in the same capacity in the Upper East and Volta Regions as a senior monitoring and evaluation officer.

Abdul-Salam joined the National Health Insurance Scheme in 2009 and held various roles, including District and Metropolitan Manager positions, until 2017.

Politically, he served as the Northern Regional Campaign Coordinator for the 2024 elections, playing a pivotal role in campaign planning and strategy.

His responsibilities included coordinating stakeholder collaboration, field mobilisation, member communication, regional advocacy initiatives, budgeting and resource management, reporting and evaluation, and stakeholder engagement.

Additionally, he has undertaken various short courses in leadership and other relevant areas to enhance his professional development.