Meet 14-year-old Nigerian crowned African Spelling Bee Junior champion

The 14-year-old Nigerian student recently crowned as the African Spelling Bee Junior Champion is Oluwadamilola Adeolu.

She secured this prestigious title at the 8th African Spelling Bee Grand Finale held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on March 20, 2026. Her victory is being celebrated as a major win for Nigeria on the continental stage.

School: Damilola is a student of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The Competition: She out-spelled contestants from over 20 African nations. The final rounds included a high-pressure "speed round" where participants had to spell 20 words in just 60 seconds.

The Prize: For her achievement, she was awarded a $5,000 scholarship and a champion’s plaque.

Next Steps: She is now set to represent the African continent at the World Spelling Bee in China later this year.

Nigeria didn't just win individually; the entire delegation had a stellar outing:

Abdurrahman Yusuf (from Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin) clinched the 3rd place in the same Junior category.

Overall Ranking: Nigeria emerged as the 2nd Best Country Team in Africa, narrowly trailing behind the host or other top-performing nations like South Africa (whose representative, Ashton Singh, took 2nd place in the Junior category).

A Year of "Spelling Stars"
You might also see news about another 14-year-old, Oreoluwa Alayande. While Damilola is the African champion, Oreoluwa won the 2025 MTN mPulse Spelling Bee in Nigeria and was recently honored as the MTN "One-Day CEO" for 2026. Both girls are currently making headlines for their academic excellence.