Ten players will represent Nigeria at the second edition of the Pan African Youth Scrabble Championship scheduled for August 14 to 17, 2025, in Machakos County, Kenya. The team, which comprises seven male and three female players, will depart Nigeria for Nairobi on Monday aboard an Asky Airline flight.
President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), Engineer Olobatoke Aka, announced the team list on Tuesday in Abuja and will lead the delegation to Kenya. He expressed confidence that Team Nigeria will retain all the titles won at the inaugural edition in Lagos two years ago, where the country emerged dominant in both age categories.
The team includes Sophia Ekeruche, Joy Eberechukwu Nwabuzor, and Eliana Igbe in the female category, while the male contingent consists of Saviour Onazi, Hassan Olojoku, Sufyan Olojoku, Abdulqudus Aliu, Khalid Olosun, Prestige Archibong, and Damilola Adeleke. Prestige Archibong returns to the championship having won the U-15 title at the previous edition hosted at Chrisland School, Lekki, Lagos.
Four of the ten players are sponsored by the Kwara State government, with Bayelsa State backing two, while Lagos, Edo, Niger, and Akwa Ibom States are each supporting one player.
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The African Youth Scrabble Championship (AYSC), which is organized by the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), is the continent’s premier competition for young scrabble talents. The 2025 edition will be held at Brighton International School, a private day and boarding school located in Katani, Syokimau, within Machakos County. The school offers both CBC and Cambridge curricula and will host players from 11 countries across the continent.
Machakos, also known as Masaku, is the capital of Machakos County and was Kenya’s first administrative headquarters. As of the 2019 census, the town had a population of 63,767 and serves as one of Kenya’s key urban centers.
The 2025 championship will again feature Under-15 and Under-19 categories. A total of 150 players are expected to compete for honours and a combined prize pool of $3,225. Winners in both categories will receive cash prizes, trophies, laptops, and tablets, while the top 10 in each age group will also go home with gift bags and spot prizes.
For the U-19 category, the first-place winner will receive $1,000, a trophy, and a laptop. The runner-up will take home $500, a trophy, and a laptop, while the third-placed finisher gets $300, a trophy, and a tablet. Fourth to tenth place will also be rewarded, with prizes ranging from $150 to branded gift bags.
In the U-15 division, the winner will walk away with $500, a trophy, and a laptop. Second place will get $300, a trophy, and a tablet, and third place will earn $200, a trophy, and a tablet. Players in fourth to tenth place will also receive prizes, including $100 for fourth, $75 for fifth, and gift bags for the rest.
As part of the build-up to the championship, the AYSC trophy has toured several African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Uganda, and Kenya, to raise awareness and generate excitement among young players and fans.
The previous edition, held in Lagos in August 2023, saw Nigeria emerge as the dominant force, with David Ojih winning the U-19 title and Prestige Archibong claiming the U-15 crown. With preparations now complete, Nigeria’s young scrabble prodigies are set to take centre stage once again, aiming to maintain their grip on continental supremacy when the games begin in Machakos.
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