Ghana has its own spelling bee and this year is the 10th anniversary. The 2017 champion is Lily Tugbah.
"I feel so excited. I can't believe this is happening. I'm grateful to everybody, especially God for helping me come this far. My parents, my family, my friends, everybody has helped me make this dream a reality," Lily said right after winning the competition.
Lily beat out more than 190 kids in 12 rounds worth of competition. Her winning word was "baculiform."
The Ghana Spelling Bee features kids from four of the 10 regions of Ghana. The kids who compete in the final in Accra, Ghana, have already competed in their home region. Kids in the spelling bee can compete until they turn 14 years old.
In May, Lily will fly to the U.S. to represent Ghana and the entire African continent in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"It's a really great honor … I plan on doing everything possible to make Ghana proud," Lily said.
Newsy is a subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Co., which runs the Scripps National Spelling Bee on a not-for-profit basis.
