A team of Ghanaian senior secondary school students performed brilliantly compared to their Nigerian counterparts in the first-ever West African Science and Maths Quiz competition held in Accra. The quiz, which was keenly contested by students from Ghana and Nigeria, was jointly organised by West African Examination Council (WAEC) and Primetime Limited. Ghana was represented by Miss Comfort Amarkie Ayittah, Holy Child, Cape Coast; Nurudeen Mohammed, Accra Academy, Accra; Samuel Danso Acquah and Adrain Mike Agyen, St Augustine, Cape Coast; Valerian M. Nofong Jnr., St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary, Wa and Allan Anzacira, Opoku Ware School, Kumasi. The Nigerians were no match as the Ghanaians virtually took control of the entire competition, sweeping clean the first three awards leaving their Nigerian counterparts to settle for the fourth to sixth positions. It was a proud moment for the few Ghanaians who were privileged to witness the four-day competition, which gave signals of great scientists in the making as the competitors confidently answered questions in science and mathematics . The long applause that followed immediately the Quiz Mistress, Dr Elfie Effa Kaufmann, announced the final results amply reflected the feelings of the guests and all present. Masters Andrian Mike Agyen and Samuel Danso Acquah, both students of St Augustine's College, Cape Coast, who paired for Team Three for Ghana, displayed exceptional brilliance as they bagged 276 marks to clinch the first position. It was actually a moment of pride as the two boys mounted the dais to receive $250, a plaque designed in the form of the African Map and a certificate each from the former Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Mr Kwame Ampofo Twumasi. Ghana's team two took the second position, having scored 245 marks, while those who represented Team One for Ghana had 237 marks to place third, ahead of the first pair from Nigeria, team two, which came fourth with 159 marks. The fifth and sixth positions were taken by teams One and Three respectively from Nigeria to complete the cycle. The second team received a cash prize of $200, a plaque and a certificate each, while the rest of the contestants received $100, a plaque and a certificate. The Managing Director of Primetime Ltd, Mr Kwaku Mensa Bonsu, who mooted the idea of the competition, congratulated the competitors and was hopeful that other countries in the sub-region would join in subsequent editions. The Registrar of WAEC, Matthew Ndure, reminded the contestants that in every contest, there would always be a winner and a loser but advised them to make friends in the spirit of ECOWAS. Mr Ampofo Twumasi who was the guest speaker, stressed that if Africa was to develop, it had to focus on the development of science. He challenged the organisers to seek sponsorship from corporate bodies to be able to award many more prizes and include scholarship for the winners. Source: Junior Graphic