14-year-old Nigerian wins African Spelling Bee junior championship

A 14-year-old Nigerian student, Oluwadamilola Adeolu, has been crowned the Junior Champion at the 2026 African Spelling Bee held in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Adeolu, who attends St. Lawrence Metropolitan College in Ado-Ekiti, clinched the top spot after outperforming contestants from more than 30 African countries.

Her victory was announced by the Nigeria Spelling Bee organisers, an affiliate of the Federal Ministry of Education.

“At the end of the competition, Oluwadamilola Adeolu of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado-Ekiti, emerged as the Junior Champion, securing a remarkable victory for Nigeria in the continental contest,” the organisers said.

Nigeria further cemented its strong showing in the category as Abdurrahman Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin, finished third, while South Africa’s Ashton Singh took second place.

The organisers also disclosed that Nigeria ranked second overall in the team category, underscoring the country’s consistent performance at the annual championship.

Other members of Team Nigeria included Oghenetano Idoghor of Mountain Top Schools, Lagos; Chinedu Okediachi of Madonna International Schools, Asaba; and Maryam Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International School, Ilorin.

This year’s competition featured rigorous stages, including a fast-paced round where participants were required to spell 20 words in one minute, as well as single-word elimination rounds.

Adeolu’s victory marks another milestone in her growing academic profile. She was the second-place winner in both the 2023 MTN Spelling Bee and the 2024 Ekiti State Spelling Bee.

She also finished fifth at the 2025 African Spelling Bee and second at the 2025 Nigeria Spelling Bee.

Her road to the continental crown began with a first-place finish at the Ekiti State Spelling Bee, followed by a second-place result at the national finals in Port Harcourt.

Nigeria has continued to assert its dominance at the African Spelling Bee, securing multiple titles across junior and senior categories in recent years.