GRAF joins SBC’s African Gaming Forum push

• SBC and GRAF have formed a partnership to strengthen regulatory dialogue across Africa’s gaming markets.
• SBC will support the GRAF 2026 Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, from 14-17 September, while GRAF becomes an Event Partner of the African Gaming Forum in Lisbon.
• The African Gaming Forum takes place on 30 September during SBC Summit 2026, with confirmed panellists from Botswana, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria.

SBC and the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) have formed a strategic partnership to strengthen regulatory dialogue across Africa’s gambling markets.

Under the deal, SBC will support GRAF’s 2026 Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, from 14 to 17 September, while GRAF becomes an Event Partner of the African Gaming Forum at SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon on 30 September.

A two-way platform

The partnership is structured to run in both directions. SBC is backing GRAF’s own flagship event, the GRAF 2026 Conference at the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre, while GRAF takes on a formal role at SBC’s Lisbon gathering, joining the direct regulator access SBC has built into SBC Summit 2026.

As Event Partner, GRAF will lead a dedicated regulatory panel titled “GRAF: African Gaming under the microscope,” running from 11:30 to 19:00 on Wednesday, 30 September at the Myriad Hotel. Access to the African Gaming Forum is invite-only.

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said:

“Africa is not one gaming market. Every jurisdiction is developing at its own pace, with different regulatory frameworks, priorities and challenges. If we want to have meaningful conversations about the future of gaming across the continent, regulators need to be at the centre of them.”

Reuben Mabutho Zwane, President of GRAF, said:

“This partnership marks an important step in strengthening Africa’s voice within the global gaming conversation. It is essential that African regulators have a strong platform through which to exchange experience, engage internationally and help shape the conversations that increasingly influence the future of our industry.”

Regulators confirmed

Several senior African regulators have already confirmed participation in the Forum. They include Moruntshi Kemorwale, CEO of the Gambling Authority Botswana; Lungile Dukwana, CEO of South Africa’s National Gambling Board; and Peter Maina Karimi, Director General of Kenya’s Gaming Regulatory Authority.

Also confirmed are Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo, Acting Commissioner of the Gaming Commission of Ghana, whose authority recently licensed BC.GAME to launch in the market; Muchanankhwaye Mpuluka, CEO of the Malawi Gaming & Lotteries Authority; and Bashir Are, CEO of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority. Further regulatory representatives are expected to join the Forum’s line-up.

The wider programme will address market entry and expansion, evolving regulatory frameworks, taxation, responsible gambling and the opportunities emerging across both established and developing African jurisdictions.

Set against Lisbon’s scale

The African Gaming Forum sits within SBC Summit 2026, SBC’s flagship global event, which is expected to draw 40,000 industry professionals to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena from 29 September to 1 October.

The summit has steadily expanded its regulator-facing programming this year, including a newly added compliance-focused track covering fraud, KYC and cybersecurity, alongside the wider entertainment line-up building out summit week.

Zwane added:

“We are particularly pleased that the partnership creates a two-way platform: SBC will support the continued development of GRAF’s work in bringing African regulators together, while GRAF will contribute directly to the international dialogue through the African Gaming Forum at SBC Summit. We look forward to working with SBC and regulatory colleagues across the continent to advance that shared agenda.”

For regulators in markets still building out their frameworks, a standing seat at both a pan-African gathering and a globally attended summit offers a rare chance to compare notes with peers facing similar enforcement and licensing questions, rather than working through them in isolation.