Ethiopian Lottery Service Prioritises Revenue Growth, Digital Transformation, and National Growth
H.E. Beza Girma, CEO of the Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS), underscored the importance of driving revenue growth, strengthening accountability, and delivering measurable results across the institution’s operations.
The remarks were made during ELS’s quarterly performance review meeting, which brought together the management team to evaluate institutional achievements, address operational challenges, and establish strategic priorities for the coming months.
The meeting provided a platform to review the institution’s performance and identify areas requiring improvement, with particular attention to operational efficiency, accountability, and its contribution to national revenue generation.
During the review, Girma emphasised the need to align ELS’s strategic priorities with its reporting structure under the Ministry of Revenue (MoR). ELS returned to the MoR in late 2026 following a major regulatory and financial audit of Ethiopia’s gaming sector. Before the change, ELS operated as a commercial state-owned enterprise under Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), the government’s sovereign wealth and strategic investment arm.
The government moved ELS back under the MoR to prioritise revenue collection, unified digital transaction monitoring, and direct fiscal oversight after the commercial model under EIH struggled to curb revenue leakages and enforce tax compliance.
Girma also highlighted the importance of aligning the institution’s ongoing transformation with Ethiopia’s Medemer Grand Strategy 2025–2050, the country’s long-term national development vision.
The discussion focused on four institutional priorities: strengthening innovation, accelerating digital transformation, enhancing institutional capacity, and promoting results-oriented governance. These priorities are intended to support institutional development, improve organisational performance, and strengthen ELS’s contribution to national revenue generation and sustainable development.
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Girma further stressed the importance of strengthening accountability and ensuring that the institution’s strategic objectives translated into measurable results.
Building on the CEO’s strategic direction, Deputy CEO H.E. Endale Shiferaw pointed out the need to accelerate ELS’s digital transformation and advance its technology initiatives. He emphasised the importance of positioning ELS as a modern, innovative, and technology-driven institution, noting that continued commitment to digital development would be essential to improving operational efficiency, accessibility, and service delivery.
The Deputy CEO also called on the institution to build on its existing digital initiatives and maintain momentum in its modernisation efforts.
The quarterly performance review concluded with a renewed commitment from the CEO and management team to advance the institution’s transformation through improved performance, innovation, stronger governance, and digital modernisation. The meeting reaffirmed ELS’s focus on becoming a stronger, more competitive, and future-ready institution.
