Miss World: Nigerian Contestant makes top 40 Finalists

Ada Eme, who’s representing Nigeria at the 71st Miss World pageant, has made the top 40 finalists. The grand finale of the pageant which is billed for this Saturday is set to hold at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India.

Eme made the top 40 finalists out of 117 contestants following her brilliant speech during the head-to-head challenge of the competition, where she emerged one of the top five contestants alongside Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lebanon and England. The challenge was an important part of the competition, where the contestants act on a variety of global challenges and demonstrate Miss World’s dedication to promoting beauty with purpose.

The challenge allows each contestant to clearly explain her project, ranging from environmental protection to healthcare initiatives, social justice efforts, and educational exploits.

Ada Eme’s speech for the project was tagged “Health For All”. She spoke about a disease prevalent in the tropical areas of the world called, ‘Schistosomiasis.’

The speech not only earned the 25-year old a spot as one of the finalists but also, earned her an award with a cash prize of $5,000 by the Chairman and CEO of the Miss World Organisation (MWO), Julia Morley.

According to the Abia State-born beauty queen, she was inspired to embark on the project after she realised that the children who benefited from her scholarship programme were out of school again as a result of the disease.

Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic parasitic disease caused by blood flukes prevalent in riverine areas. Her project made it possible for the children at the grassroots to receive immunization against the infection as well as treatment for infected children. The beauty queen said she’s hopeful of clinching the coveted crown.

“I am hopeful to return with the crown. Every woman in this pageant shares the same goals as well as myself. It’s been such a beautiful challenge.

However, I will continue to put my best foot forward and hope for the best,” Eme said in an interview.

This year’s Miss World kicked off on February 18, featuring a three-week schedule of events held at multiple locations, including the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

African countries competing for the prestigious crown include Nigeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D’ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Kenya.

Others are Liberia, Lesotho, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Ada Eme, left for India last November, where she joined contestants in preparation for the grand finale, which comes up this Saturday, March 9, at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India.

Vanguard /S.S