To celebrate its 55th anniversary, the National Lottery of Côte d'Ivoire (LONACI) brought together media professionals at its studios in Biétry. Under the theme "55 Years of History with an Engaged and Responsible Press," this meeting highlighted the crucial role of journalists in the institution's development.

The event brought together a select group of people: media regulators, general managers of television channels, journalists, as well as the three most recent winners of the prestigious Super Ebony Prize and the LONACI Foundation Social Challenge (Raphaël Tanoh in 2022, Faustin Ehouman in 2024 and Fatou Sylla in 2025).

The media, pillars of spectacular growth

Representing the Director General of LONACI, Abdoulkarim Ouattara warmly praised the media's contribution to the company's credibility since its creation in 1970.

"Thanks to the media, LONACI was seen, heard, understood, and followed."

— Abdoulkarim Ouattara

This fruitful collaboration has resulted in impressive figures. LONACI's turnover has followed an exponential trajectory, rising from 5 billion FCFA at its inception to over 700 billion FCFA today.

The LONACI Foundation: A multiplied social impact

Marc Guédé Sakoa, executive director of the LONACI Foundation, emphasized the importance of the Social Challenge . Launched in 2019, this competition encourages journalists to highlight human and civic issues.

The extensive media coverage of these actions has significantly increased the foundation's resources:

1. 2022 Budget: 2.3 billion FCFA
2. 2026 Budget: 7.3 billion FCFA
3. Results since 2019: Nearly 700 social projects completed for a total investment of over 24.7 billion FCFA .

To mark this 55th anniversary, a special sum of 300 million FCFA has been released to support orphanages and specialized centers.

Sharing experiences and distinctions

A panel discussion, moderated by award winners Fatou Sylla, Faustin Ehouman, and Raphaël Tanoh, provided an opportunity to exchange ideas on the role of journalism in raising awareness of social issues. The panelists praised LONACI's commitment, which encourages the press to focus more closely on human concerns.

To conclude this celebration, LONACI expressed its gratitude to the sector by awarding "Recognition Trophies" to the leaders of partner institutions and media outlets:

Institutions & Regulators	Media Partners
• High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA)		• National Press Authority (ANP)	• Fraternité Matin (State-owned daily newspaper)		• RTI		• NCI		• Life TV		• Business 24