The Story of the African Spelling Bee
Founded to foster pan-African literacy, celebrate linguistic diversity, and connect youth across borders, the African Spelling Bee is Africa’s most prestigious academic stage for young scholars.
Genesis of the Continental Bee
In July 2016, leaders of national spelling bees from 9 African countries converged in Johannesburg, South Africa, driven by a shared dream: creating a homegrown, world-class intellectual competition tailored for African schoolchildren.
Prior to the African Spelling Bee, talented spellers across Africa had few opportunities to test their linguistic prowess internationally without expensive overseas travel to North America. The African Spelling Bee established a continental pinnacle where African champions compete against fellow African peers.
The 3 Pillars of the Movement
- 📚 1. Literacy & Vocabulary Mastery: Empowering children to decode complex phonetic, etymological, and morphological structures in the global English language.
- 🌍 2. Celebrating African Words: Integrating loanwords of African origin (Swahili, Yoruba, Zulu, Hausa, Arabic, Amharic) into the official competition lexicon.
- 🤝 3. Pan-African Youth Leadership: Connecting the continent’s brightest future leaders in an atmosphere of mutual respect, friendship, and cultural solidarity.
Championship Host Cities Timeline
Johannesburg, South Africa
Pioneer national spelling organizations converged to establish the continental competition.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Expanded national delegations with high-intensity written and oral championship rounds.
Mombasa, Kenya
Celebrated along the Swahili coast, welcoming over 13 participating African nations.
Jinja, Uganda
Hosted at the historic Source of the Nile with record-breaking sudden-death tiebreakers.
Blantyre, Malawi
Triumphant post-pandemic return of live continental competition in Southern Africa.
Kampala, Uganda
Convened in Uganda's vibrant capital, uniting top Senior and Junior spellers from 18+ nations.
Abuja, Nigeria
Historic championship hosted in Nigeria's federal capital, showcasing premier continental orthography.
Harare, Zimbabwe
The upcoming grand continental gathering bringing Africa's brightest young minds to Harare.
Represent Nigeria at the Next Continental Championship
Individual students cannot apply directly to the African Spelling Bee committee. You must qualify by finishing among the top finalists at the accredited Nigeria Spelling Bee national championship.