The programme, which has celebrated over a century of academic excellence, is now open to Nigerian students from eight to 13, offering them opportunity to compete on a global stage.

The launch in Lagos witnessed introduction of ‘Spell It, Nigeria’ – an affiliate of Scripps National Spelling Bee, USA. The debut is a collaboration between Young Educators Foundation, Lucid Education Initiative and Scripps National Spelling Bee, USA.

The initiative will see Nigeria compete in the United States, joining Ghana. The maiden edition is open to schools in Nigeria until early October, with the grand prize of an all–expense paid trip to United States for the winner to participate in Scripps National Spelling Bee next May when the programme will turn 100.

Convener of the initiative, Eugenia Tachie-Menson, said: “The story of how we arrived here is one of vision, perseverance and belief in the power of education. It began with Young Educators Foundation’s mission to empower young learners by providing them with opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. This mission led to the acquisition of Scripps franchise for Ghana nearly two decades ago, making Ghana the first African nation to participate. Over the years, Ghana’s spellers demonstrated that Africa’s youths are eager to compete and excel on the global stage. ‘’The quest to see Nigeria represented in the Scripps National Spelling Bee became a mission we could not ignore, driven by two core beliefs.

“First is the need to change the narrative of the African child from one who hungers for food to one who hungers for knowledge. It is imperative our children are included in global educational programme.

“Second, we were inspired by the visionary words of godfather of Pan-Africanism, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who, in 1957, said: ‘Our Independence is meaningless unless it is linked with total liberation of the African continent.’’

“With Nigeria joining Ghana, we are sending a powerful message: that Africa is here, ready to compete on the global stage and Ghana and Nigeria will have a new topic to feed our healthy rivalry besides the now famous jollof wars!”