Nigeria is stepping up to the plate in 2025, joining Ghana as the only African nations competing in the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, an iconic U.S. event that tests students’ spelling and vocabulary prowess.
For nearly 20 years, Ghana has been the sole African representative at the Bee. Now, thanks to the Young Educators Foundation which runs the event in Ghana (known as The National Spelling Bee) and their partnership with Lucid Education Initiative, Nigeria will finally join the ranks. This collaboration aims to ignite a passion for spelling and literacy among Nigerian youths.
But as we celebrated Ghana’s achievements, a new goal began to take shape—a goal championed by the Convener of this initiative, Eugenia Tachie-Menson. The quest to see Nigeria, with its vast pool of talented young minds, represented in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, became a mission that we could not ignore. This mission was driven by two core beliefs.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is more than a contest; it’s 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’s also set to spark curiosity and a life-long love for language and learning.
“We aim to equip students with the skills to use words as powerful communication tools from an early age,” said Eugenia Tachie-Menson, CEO of Young Educators Foundation. “We are elated that Nigeria will be joining Ghana in May of 2025 as the second African country in the global competition.
The National Spelling Bee, in Ghana, has reignited a national discourse about the importance of literacy and spelling correctly, while birthing many student-centred programmes in mainstream media. We are certain that the benefits Ghanaian students have accrued from participating in this programme for nearly 2 decades will cascade on to Nigerian students as well,” she concluded.
The champion of this spelling contest will earn a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May 2025.
Nigeria’s participation will shine a spotlight on the importance of literacy and spelling education among young students, particularly in Lagos and Abuja, where the initiative is currently focused. “This programme offers a platform for Nigerian youths to showcase their literacy prowess on a global stage, changing the rather tired and erroneous narrative the African child only hungers for food”, added Afolajimi Akinyoyenu, CEO of Lucid Education Initiative.
In the 2024 edition, approximately 245 national competitors from across all 50 U.S. states, other territories like Guam and Puerto Rico, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe participated. International participants hailed from Ghana, the Bahamas and Canada. It is worth noting that Ghana finished off as Semi Finalists in this year’s competition.
Come 2025, Nigeria will proudly join this esteemed line-up.
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. One mistake can end a journey built on years of hard work and dedication. It’s a high-stakes, exhilarating event.
Spelling goes beyond precision; it demands a deep understanding of etymology and word nuances. Champion spellers must navigate tricky rules and pay keen attention to every detail.
Checkers custard, Indomie noodles are among the sponsors of the global competition.
The Scripps Spelling Competition is set to revolutionise Nigeria’s education scene, inspiring young minds to achieve linguistic excellence on the global stage.