Monrovia — The president of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), Adekoyejo Adegbesan, has praised Liberia's growing commitment to the game of Scrabble, expressing full confidence in the country's ability to host the 16th Pan African Scrabble Championship, scheduled for October 2026.
Adegbesan, a Nigerian national, is currently visiting Liberia as a guest of the National Scrabble Association of Liberia (NASAL). His trip includes a trophy tour linked to the upcoming African Youth Championship in Kenya and an assessment of Liberia's readiness to host the continent's top Scrabble event.
Speaking in Monrovia, Adegbesan commended NASAL President Lester Dgian Morris and his team for their dedication to expanding the sport's reach in Liberia.
"Liberia is one of the most vibrant countries in Africa when it comes to Scrabble," he said. "Winning the bid to host the 2026 Pan African Championship is a clear sign that the country is now among the elite on the continent."
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The championship will bring together players from 30 African nations at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Monrovia, where the week-long tournament will be staged. Adegbesan toured the facility as part of his visit and noted that Liberia's momentum has been building, thanks to the successful hosting of recent national events.
Among those events were the April 2025 National Scrabble Championship held in Kakata, Margibi County, and "Scrabble Mania 2.0," along with an international tournament in May that drew 36 players from Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Liberia to the Boulevard Palace Hotel in Monrovia.
"I am confident that the country is ready," Adegbesan added, "especially now that Liberia has become an integral part of the expanded African Scrabble ecosystem."
PANASA, established in 1994, serves as the official governing body for Scrabble across Africa. Its member federations also compete in global tournaments organized by the World English Language Scrabble Players Association Championships (WESPAC) and are recognized by the World Scrabble Body (WESPA).
The organization aims to foster Scrabble development across the continent while hosting high-level championships to promote intellectual competition and cross-cultural exchange.
NASAL President Morris echoed Adegbesan's optimism, emphasizing Liberia's upward trajectory in the sport.
"Scrabble is on the rise in Liberia, and we must keep pushing it to the top," Morris said. "Hosting the 2026 championship will be a proud moment for our nation and a huge step forward in promoting Scrabble as a sport of strategy and education."
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Liberia's national Scrabble team has made significant strides in recent years. At the 2024 All-Africa Games in Accra, Ghana, the team earned a silver medal, finishing second to Uganda in the Scrabble category.
With preparations for the 2026 Pan African Championship now underway, organizers remain confident that Liberia will deliver a world-class event--one that will further cement the country's growing reputation in the African Scrabble community.
