Ghana celebrate multiple gains at African Scrabble Championship

Ghana recorded multiple gains at the 16th African Scrabble Championship (ASC) in Monrovia, Liberia, with Betty Kyeremateng winning the Best Female Player award and Haruna Adamu emerging as the new president of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA). Kyeremateng made history by becoming the first Ghanaian woman to win the Best Female title in the 32-year history of the continental competition, capping an impressive outing for Ghanaian scrabble at the championship, which concluded on Sunday. The Ghanaian finished 13th overall after winning 20 of her 32 games, with a cumulative score of -184 points. However, her performance could have earned her a much higher position in the overall standings, as a better cumulative score would have placed her seventh among the 110 players in attendance. Nigeria’s Sophia Ekeruche, the 2025 and 2026 world-best female junior player, finished second in the women’s category with 18 victories and a cumulative score of +859 points, while compatriot Temituoye Mayuku secured third place. Beyond Kyeremateng’s individual achievement, Ghana’s success at the championship extended to the leadership of the continental body, as Adamu was elected unopposed as PANASA president on Saturday. Adamu’s emergence marks another significant milestone for Ghanaian scrabble, with the passionate administrator and security expert becoming the first Ghanaian to be elected to lead the continental association. He succeeds Nigeria’s Adekoyejo Adegbesan, who previously headed the organisation. The combination of Kyeremateng’s historic triumph and Adamu’s election underlined Ghana’s growing influence in African scrabble, making the 16th edition of the ASC a memorable outing for the West African nation. Meanwhile, Nigeria also enjoyed a strong showing at the championship, with Abdulmumin Jimoh emerging as the individual champion and the country claiming the Best Country title ahead of Kenya and hosts Liberia.