Uganda’s scrabble sensation Andrew Akwanya has became the first player to arrive for the maiden PANASA President’s Cup.
Akwanya landed in Lagos on Wednesday for the four-day tournament which begins on Thursday, August 23, 2023.
The very jovial ‘Jammer’ trended last month with a video which depicted a comical act where he promised to win the title and the 5,000 dollars cash-prize on offer as he packed his pots and a board into a sack while getting set to depart for Nigeria before his bemused wife.
“I did that video as a way of creating awareness for scrabble,” he told PANASA Media.
His ambition appears to be on track as he arrived Lagos through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, but without the pots and spoons he had in the video.
“It’s a honour to be the first player to arrive for the first edition and it’s a pleasure to be in Lagos after the long journey. We are very excited by the leadership of PANASA headed by Adekoyejo Adegbesan. Less than a year since he became the President, Scrabble in Africa has grown massively! So coming here is our own way of supporting the great things he has done for the game. We are about a 15-man contigent ready to win this tournament,” he said.
He and his compatriots will however, have to navigate through other top players who will be arriving for the tournament from other parts of the world.
The President’s Cup will hold alongside the Dr Winifred Awosika Foundation African Youth Scrabble Championship, where students will compete in the U-15 and U-19 categories for prizes.
Players from 14 countries including the United States of America will converge on the Island of Lekki at the Orchid Hotel for the scrabble extravaganza.
