Published: December 8, 2025
MONROVIA — Hopes were high earlier this year when the Government of Liberia included US$5,000 for the National Scrabble Association of Liberia in the 2025 national budget — the first time the sport had ever received an official government allocation. The move was widely hailed as a milestone and recognition of Liberia’s growing presence on the international scrabble stage.
But as the budget year draws to a close, the association’s president, Lester Morris, says actually accessing that money has been a struggle.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Scrabble Mania 3.0 over the weekend, Morris alleged that the Ministry of Youth and Sports — the agency responsible for coordinating with sports federations — often uses “delay tactics” when federations attempt to retrieve their allotted funds.
“When you write for the allotment, the first thing is you don’t get a response. You have to go back and forth,” Morris said. “It shouldn’t work that way. We had a trip to Ghana this year. We wrote for the allotment, but we couldn’t get it.”
Morris said the federation was forced to rely entirely on its own fundraising efforts to send athletes abroad.
“I had to beg individuals and institutions to sponsor our athletes for the All-Africa Games. We didn’t get a dime from the government,” he said. “But when the team had an excellent display, the Executive Mansion published it. That was frustrating.”
He added that the association has again written the Ministry of Youth and Sports to remind it of Liberia’s right to host the 2026 Pan African Scrabble Championship. Morris warned that the renewed US$5,000 allotment in the 2026 budget is far too small for a federation preparing to stage a major international tournament.
During the program, Adekoyejo Adegbesan, president of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), and Lukeman Owolabi, president of the World English Scrabble Players Association (WESPA), praised Liberia’s rapid rise in the sport. Both officials said Liberia is now well-positioned to become a hub for scrabble competitions in the West African subregion.
They noted that hosting the October 2026 PANASA Championship could unlock significant opportunities for the country, especially as Scrabble Mania continues to grow in popularity among English-language players.
Scrabble Mania 3.0 ran from Dec. 5–7, 2025, featuring 10 foreign players from Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The annual championship is organized by Mind Brilliance Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting intellectual development and wordplay.
This year’s tournament carried a total prize purse of US$6,000, provided by House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, and was contested by 34 registered players. The champion will receive US$2,000, while the runner-up and third-place finishers will take home US$1,600 and US$1,000, respectively. Fourth- and fifth-place winners earned US$500 and US$400, and sixth- and seventh-place players received US$225 each.
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