Monrovia, April 28, 2026--Six high school students from Montserrado County have been selected to represent Liberia at the Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad in Côte d'Ivoire, scheduled from June 27 to July 4, 2026.
The national team was chosen through a merit-based process led by the Liberia Olympiad Foundation in partnership with the African Olympiad Academy (AOA).
The students representing Liberia are Mark Tambah, Mavies Cole, Khalifa L. Dolley, Melvin Gizzie, Massanjay Kamara, and Mariam Kromah.
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During the closing ceremony of the AOA Rising Stars Liberia Camp 2026 at the Liberia Baptist Seminary on Robertfield Highway, Liberia Olympiad Foundation Co-founder McMillan Vaye explained that the program began in November 2024 as a pilot competition involving 500 to 600 students from Montserrado.
After two rounds of testing, 60 students advanced to a training camp in March, which was later narrowed to 30. From that group, 18 students were selected based on test performance and school recommendations, and ultimately six were selected for the national team.
What the program offers:
Vaye noted that the Olympiad emphasizes critical thinking, challenging students to solve real-world math problems without calculators and requiring them to explain their reasoning step by step. "There is no cost to participate; recruitment is merit-based with no financial fees attached. We look for the best and top-performing students to be part of this process," he said.
Long-term pipeline:
Vaye added that the foundation aims to identify, train, and retain top STEM talent in alignment with the government's ARREST agenda, which targets 25% of graduates in STEM fields. Students not selected this year will remain in the program for future camps.
He disclosed that the Liberia Olympiad Foundation is also collaborating with Sierra Leone to organize a friendly exchange before both teams depart for Côte d'Ivoire.
Travel logistics and documentation are expected to be supported through a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education, while other travel costs will be covered by the foundation and its partners.
The foundation's co-founder emphasized that the initiative addresses a gap in Liberia's education system by nurturing talent for innovation and competition.
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He noted that one student has already received a scholarship to a residential high school in Rwanda run by the African Olympiad Academy, which feeds top students into institutions like MIT.
The six-member team will spend one week in Côte d'Ivoire alongside students from about two-thirds of African countries.
In remarks, Assistant Minister for STEM and TVET at the Ministry of Education, Nathaniel K. Cisco, thanked the organizers for imparting knowledge to young students. "I want to say I'm excited to be here to bring you a message from the Ministry of Education family and the senior management team. I'm here today with my director of STEM. I personally brought her because that's her passion," he said.
"We're about to roll out STEM clubs in all our public schools. I was just telling her, we have to emulate some of these examples. We are taking our first batch of students in Grand Basel, and it will be something very similar to this. So she's here with me today to see it."
Cisco revealed that an MOU is being crafted and is expected to be signed between the Ministry of Education and the Liberia Olympiad Foundation. According to him, the MOU is on the minister's desk.
He added, "She's passionate about this, especially for the females here. To those of you representing our country, we ask that you make us proud. Whatever we need to do to assist as a ministry, we will. Thanks and congratulations."
