The winning school with other dignitaries
ACCRA GIRLS’ Senior High School (SHS) has emerged as winner of the maiden Greater Accra edition of the ACE Spoken Word Competition with a total of 86 points, beating its close contender Ghana Christian International High School (GCIHS), who secured 85 points.
Forces’ Senior High Technical School placed third with 77 points, while O’Reilly Senior High School came fourth with 75 points.
Accra Girls took an early lead during the first round, which featured spoken word performances and dramatisations. The school maintained its advantage in the second round, a general knowledge quiz, before holding off a strong challenge from Ghana Christian International High School in the final improvisation round.
The winners received a trophy, certificates, a citation, stationery items, and a cash prize of GH¢7,000.
Ghana Christian International High School received GH¢5,000 and certificates for placing second, while Forces’ Senior High Technical School and O’Reilly Senior High School received GH¢3,000 and GH¢2,000 respectively, alongside certificates.
The competition, sponsored by the United States Embassy and facilitated by ACE Consult Ltd, brought together students from 27 senior high schools across the Greater Accra Region under the theme, “World Cup 2026: When the Whistle Blows, Borders Fade”.
Speaking to the media, Executive Director of ACE Consult, Marilyn Owusu, explained that students are challenged to develop and perform spoken word pieces, often under pressure, to build confidence and sharpen their communication abilities.
“The idea is to empower our students to become critical thinkers and confident speakers who can express themselves effectively before any audience,” she said.
Mrs. Owusu noted that the competition was first introduced in Kumasi in 2024 and has grown significantly, attracting dozens of schools. The 2026 edition marked its expansion into the Greater Accra Region.
Press Attaché at the United States Embassy, Matthew Asada, said the Embassy was pleased to support the initiative.
“We’re very proud to partner with Ace Consult on the inaugural edition of the Spoken Word Competition here and across. We’ve been doing this for three years in Kumasi, but this is the first time in Accra. I am very excited, especially given the theme of this year’s competition. It was all about sports, sports diplomacy,” he said.
He noted that the competition forms part of a series of educational and cultural activities linked to the tournament and aimed at promoting leadership, creativity and cross-cultural engagement among young people.
The ACE Spoken Word Competition is an annual platform that encourages students to develop their writing, performance, and critical-thinking skills through poetry and spoken word presentations.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke