Four young spellers from Ghana and Nigeria made their mark at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the United States. This event highlights a growing African presence on the global academic stage. The Young Educators Foundation/Africa (YEF/A) helped facilitate their participation. YEF/A is a non-profit organization. It focuses on promoting literacy and creating international opportunities.
From Ghana, 11-year-old Eugene Osei Mensah competed. He won The National Spelling Bee -Gh 2026. Nigeria sent Newton Temojo. He was the champion of Scripps Spellingbee In Nigeria 2026. Amazing-Grace Salami also represented Nigeria. She was a finalist in the same competition. These young spellers joined top students from around the world.
Eugene and Amazing-Grace were eliminated in the early rounds. Eugene missed the vocabulary word 'cygnet'. Amazing-Grace missed 'corroborate'. Newton Temojo reached the quarterfinals. He was eliminated on the vocabulary word 'dissuade'. Newton's performance showed progress for Nigeria. The country's speller exited in the preliminary round in 2025.
Keona-Osae Twum also performed strongly. She was the first runner-up in The National Spelling Bee Gh-2026. Keona represented New Jersey at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She trained using resources and coaches from the Ghana program. Keona advanced to the semifinals. She exited on the word “amentiferous.” Her achievement is notable.
These performances reflect strengthening literacy and spelling programs in Africa. Young Educators Foundation Convener Eugenia Tachie-Menson spoke about the event. She called it an important step. It builds academic confidence and international exposure. "This experience continues to show African children that they belong on global platforms", the foundation stated. Supporters in Ghana and Nigeria made this participation possible. Organizers are already planning for next year's competition. They aim to boost literacy and vocabulary skills.