Winners Emerge at 2024 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship

Funmi Ogundare

ReadManna Empowerment Initiative (REI) has unveiled the Nigerian team for the 2024 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship for Students (MOSWC), to hold from July 28 to 31, at Disneyland, USA. 

The MOSWC is keenly competed annually by students in over 150 countries. In the past 15 years, Nigeria has emerged second and third positions in the World Championship and has had top 10 finishes nearly every year.

The winners and their ICT teachers to represent Nigeria at the World Championship are: Olamiposi Ajisafe of Faith Academy, Gowon Estate, Lagos (Excel 2019) with a score of 1,000/1,000 taken in 13min 15sec; Rume Gabari of Grace High School, Gbagada, Lagos (Word 2019) with a score of 1,000/1,000 taken in 15min 29sec; Daniel Uzugbo of Faith Academy, Ota, Ogun State (PowerPoint 2019) with a score of 1,000/1,000, taken in 10min 10sec.

Others are: Bolurinwa Fabuyi of City of Knowledge Academy, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State (Excel Office365) with a score of 980/1,000 taken in 13min 8sec; Oluwadamisola Arigbabu of Faith Academy, Ogun State (Word Office365) with a score of 1,000/1,000 taken in 21min 30sec; and Excel Chukwuemeka of Faith Academy, Ota, (PowerPoint Office365) with a score of 1,000/1,000 taken in 16min 27sec.

The students will be accompanied by the two ICT teachers; Mr Stephen Aimufua, of Faith Academy, Ota, the ICT teacher of the student with highest score in the 2023 MOS Nigeria competition

Mr. Omotayo Adeniyi of  Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State, the ICT teacher of the school with the largest number of certified students in the Junior ICT competition (2024 ReadManna under13 Computing Fundamentals National Competition (ages 8 to 13).

The founder of the initiative, Mrs. Edna Agusto stated that the championship, sponsored annually in Nigeria by Zenith Bank PLC, challenges students to demonstrate their proficiency in the use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

According to her, “these Microsoft Office Specialist programs are the most commonly used productivity tools by businesses worldwide and the official MOS certification programme assesses and demonstrates proficiency in these programmes.”

Certified MOS users, she added, will become proficient in the use of Microsoft Office programmes, thereby improving their chances of becoming gainfully employed in today’s digital world.

“It is globally recognised and gives certified users the opportunity to apply for jobs anywhere in the World. MOS certification also provides a solid foundation for advanced ICT training and certified users will be able to pursue training in advanced computer technologies,” Augusto stated.

The founder said out of a total of 136 candidates that applied for the keenly contested, 68 male and 58 females were shortlisted, while only seven scored 1,000/1,000 in various programmes.

She added that the competition is open to all students between the age of 13 and 22 who are enrolled in an institution.