Adegbesan Backs Nigeria to Retain African Scrabble Crown

President of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), Adekoyejo Adegbesan, is confident Nigeria has enough quality to defend its title at the 16th African Scrabble Championship scheduled to hold in Monrovia, Liberia.

Adegbesan, fondly known as Sheikh, believes Nigeria’s remarkable record in the continental competition puts her in a strong position to retain its crown despite losing several players who have relocated abroad.

Nigeria has won 14 of the last 15 editions of the African Scrabble Championship, establishing itself as the dominant force in the sport on the continent.

Speaking ahead of the championship, Adegbesan acknowledged that the departure of some players could pose a challenge but insisted Nigeria still possesses the depth and quality required to remain African champions.

“From what I see here today, even though we’ve lost a lot of our players who have relocated outside the country, I still think we have enough to win in Africa,” he said.

However, the PANASA president cautioned against overlooking Uganda and Kenya, identifying both countries as serious challengers to Nigeria’s continental supremacy.

“I’ll put on my non-partisan hat here and say other countries too. Uganda are good as well. Kenya also would participate and would compete,” he added.

“I think it’s between those three countries, but Nigeria will still have more than enough to retain their title.”

Beyond the competition, Adegbesan expressed satisfaction with Liberia’s preparations, describing the country’s commitment to hosting the championship as encouraging.

According to him, the Liberian Ministry of Sports has demonstrated strong support for the national Scrabble association, including efforts to redesign the championship banner and provide assistance towards organising the tournament.

He said the involvement of the ministry had strengthened his confidence in Liberia’s ability to deliver a successful event.

“Liberia is ready to host, and I think we’ll have the best tournament yet,” Adegbesan declared.

The 16th African Scrabble Championship will bring together some of the continent’s finest word-game players in Monrovia, with Nigeria aiming to extend its impressive record while Uganda and Kenya seek to challenge the reigning champions.

Adegbesan’s confidence comes from decades of involvement in the game, having been associated with Scrabble since the 1990s.

Beyond his continental leadership role, he is the chairman of Gateway Scrabble Club in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, and the immediate past chairman of the Ogun State Scrabble Association.

His long-standing involvement in the sport has given him a close view of its development in Nigeria and across Africa

Meanwhile, PANASA has announced an additional entry opportunity for players who failed to secure places through the official selection or qualification processes conducted by their respective national associations.

In a statement dated October 9, 2026, the continental body said interested players could still participate in the championship under the additional entry category, provided their applications were submitted and endorsed by their national Scrabble associations or federations.

The initiative offers another route into the competition for players who missed out on selection through their countries’ established qualification processes.

However, PANASA stressed that individual players cannot register independently under the arrangement. All applications must be processed through and endorsed by the relevant national body.

The registration fee for players entering through this additional category has been fixed at US$300 per player, the same fee applicable to Diaspora players.

PANASA has urged national associations to inform their members about the opportunity and facilitate the participation of interested players.

The announcement provides an additional avenue for players seeking to compete at the continental championship, which is expected to attract some of Africa’s finest Scrabble talents alongside participants from beyond the continent.

The 16th Africa Scrabble Championship is scheduled to run from October 22 to 25, 2026, in Monrovia, Liberia.