Nigeria, Ghana to represent Africa in US spelling bee

A non-governmental organisation, Young Educators Foundation, has announced that Nigeria and Ghana will represent Africa at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, that will be hosted in the United States in 2025.

The Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Eugenia Tachie-Menson, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

Tachie-Menson said that the spelling competition that tested students’ competence in spelling and vocabulary prowess had seen Ghana representing the continent for about two decades.

She said that the foundation in collaboration with Lucid Education Initiative, Nigeria, facilitated Nigeria to join the representation.

“This collaboration aims to ignite a passion for spelling and literacy among Nigerian youths.

“The Scripps National Spelling Bee is more than a contest; it is a celebration of discipline, word mastery and academic excellence.

“Beyond giving Nigerian students and schools a global spotlight, it will boost cognitive skills, critical thinking, and mental agility in young learners.

“It will also spark curiosity and a lifelong love for language and learning.’’

She said the foundation is already working on a selection process of students to compete at the national level for global representation.

The CEO added that they had begun the selection from some private schools and later to public schools.

“The champion of this yet-to-be-unveiled spelling contest will earn a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May 2025,” she said.

On his part, Chief Executive Officer, Lucid Education Initiative, Afolajimi Akinyoyenu, said that Nigeria’s participation in the competition would highlight the importance of literacy and spelling education among young students.

“This programme offers a platform for Nigerian youths to showcase their literacy prowess on a global stage.

“It will change the tired and erroneous narrative that the African child only hungers for food,” he said.

The 2024 edition had no fewer than 245 national competitors from schools across the U.S., in Europe, Ghana, Canada and others.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a thrilling mental challenge, with spellers having just 75 seconds to ask questions and 90 seconds to spell each word.