Nigerian students have recorded a strong outing, clinching top honours at the recently concluded African Spelling Bee competition in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The competition, held on Friday, brought together top young spellers from more than 30 African countries.

The African Spelling Bee featured several formats, including an intense speed round, where participants were required to spell 20 words within one minute, as well as multiple challenging single-word elimination rounds.

Five Nigerian students selected from different states graced the competition. They were selected after a rigorous national process organised by the Nigeria Spelling Bee.

Oluwadamilola Adeolu, a student of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado-Ekiti, clinched the first position and emerged as the Champion of the Junior category, while Abdurrahman Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin, secured 3rd place in the same category. South African Ashton Singh clinched the second position in the category.

The Nigerian team also emerged as the 2nd Best Country Spelling Bee Team in the overall group rankings.

Members of the team include Oghenetano Idoghor of Mountain Top Schools, Lagos, Chinedu Okediachi of Madonna International Schools, Asaba, and Maryam Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International School, Ilorin.

About the African Spelling Bee

The African Spelling Bee Consortium was founded in 2016 by 10 Spelling Bee organisations across Africa. The first African Spelling Bee was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, bringing together National Champions from each of the countries.

The first ten countries are: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

“The African Spelling Bee was started with a vision of celebrating the African Child, inspiring them to be literate and creating a platform for them to connect and build their confidence,” the organisers said.

The African Spelling Bee Consortium comprises a growing number of more than 20 African Nations, including both English and non-English-speaking nations, organisers said.