Zuko Phandle

Manager - Audit & Compliance, Eastern Cape Gambling Board (ECGB)

Zuko Phandle, Manager of Audit & Compliance at the Eastern Cape Gambling Board (ECGB), leads regulatory oversight, compliance enforcement, and public education in the province's gambling industry. He holds a Master of Philosophy in IT Governance from Nelson Mandela University, with internationally published research on sports betting information security. Previously, he established the Board's Gaming Control, Regulatory Affairs, and Systems sub-unit, integrating surveillance, regulatory technologies, iGaming, and digital governance. He oversees three sub-units and a senior team, championing ethical regulation, innovation, responsible gambling, and consumer protection.

Fortune Sekgaphane

Director & Lead Consultant, Bojosi Consulting Solutions

Fortune Sekgaphane, a South African legal professional with a Bachelor of Law from the former University of Bophuthatswana (now North West University), brings over 26 years of experience in the gambling industry. He began as an Office Clerk, later serving as Legal Officer at the Consumer Council of Bophuthatswana, before joining the Mpumalanga Gambling Board in 1997, where he rose to Chief Executive Officer. Notably, he introduced the Limited Payout Machines sector to South Africa after studying its regulation in Australia. He later served two terms as CEO of the North West Gambling Board, led Vegas Management Solutions, and in 2023 founded Bojosi Consulting Solutions, offering cross-border regulatory and compliance services. Fortune has advised gambling regulators across Africa, presented at numerous global conferences, and held leadership roles in industry bodies, including Trustee of the International Association of Gambling Regulators and Chairperson of the Technology and Illegal Gambling Committee of the Gambling Regulators of Africa Forum.

Rachel Mijiga

Director General, Malawi Gaming & Lotteries Authority

Rachel Mijiga is the Director General of the Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority, leading its vision, mission, and values to drive effective regulation and growth of Malawi's gaming industry. She developed the stakeholder RICH PICTURE matrix, managed sector dynamics, and led the enactment of the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 2022. With extensive experience in technology, corporate strategy, value-added services, enterprise solutions, new business development, project management, stakeholder engagement, and brand transformation, she has served as Director of Enterprise Services at Airtel Malawi and in Brand Management at Coca-Cola (Southern Bottlers Malawi Limited). She holds an MSc in Entrepreneurship from the Malawi University of Science and Technology, a BBA from the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, and is a fellow of the British Council/LEAD Leadership Programme. She also sits on the Board of Old Mutual Pension Services Company.

Bashir Are

CEO, Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority

Bashir is a private and public sector executive with over 28 years of expertise in business process reengineering, project management, systems integration, FINTECH, and international trade. He has served as Principal Consultant for Getronics, EMC, and Northrop Grumman on major U.S. federal projects, and held senior roles at Lockheed Martin and Large-Scale Proteomics Corporation. In Nigeria, he was Sole Administrator (Mayor) of Lagos Island East LCDA (2016-2017), leading UK-DFID's GEMS3 initiatives to boost employment and ease of doing business. As COO of Funds & Electronic Transfer Solutions (fets) Limited, he managed $31M in monthly transactions, built cost-saving payment platforms, and co-authored a mobile money adoption concept that won a $4M EFInA Innovation Grant. He has worked closely with telecoms, the Central Bank of Nigeria, NIBBS, and NCC on compliance and interoperability, and previously operated MoneyMart in Maryland, USA, serving unbanked communities as a licensed lottery and money remittance agent.

Sujit Lahiry

Executive Director & CEO, Skilrock Technologies

Sujit Lahiry is the Executive Director & CEO of Skilrock Technologies and an industry veteran with over three decades of experience in Lottery & Gaming, IT, Telecom, and ITES. He has spearheaded projects across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. With an engineering background and a solid foundation in research, he is globally recognized for helping businesses transform challenges into opportunities.

Annalisa

Sales & Account Manager, Synot Games (Moderator)

With over 23 years in Management, Annalisa specializes in Strategic Business Development, Key Account, Compliance, Technical, and Operations Management. She has a proven track record in achieving targets and building strong relationships in the Gaming Sector, land-based and online, in the African Continent.