The battle for jollof supremacy has produced a new champion, with Côte d’Ivoire emerging winner of the 2026 3FM Jollof Wars at the ongoing 3FM Afro Connect.
The highly anticipated culinary showdown brought together representatives from 10 African countries, each determined to prove that their country could cook the finest, tastiest and most sumptuous jollof.
Taking place as one of the major highlights of the 2026 3FM Afro Connect, the competition turned the love for jollof into a fierce but entertaining battle of national pride, culinary skills and, ultimately, bragging rights.
Representatives from Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Mali, Gabon and The Gambia entered the competition with one objective — to impress the judges and walk away with the coveted Jollof Wars crown.
The teams carefully prepared their various versions of jollof, bringing different cooking styles, ingredients, techniques and cultural influences to the competition.
But with the stakes high, preparing a delicious meal was only part of the challenge. Winning the Jollof Wars meant earning bragging rights over nine other African countries — a prize that goes beyond the trophy and gives the victorious country the opportunity to proudly claim culinary bragging rights until the next edition.
After the inspection and tasting exercise, the judges delivered their verdict, with Côte d’Ivoire crowned the 2026 3FM Jollof Wars champion.
The victory sees Côte d’Ivoire take over the crown from Sierra Leone, who entered this year’s competition as the defending champions after winning the 2025 edition of the Jollof Wars.
However, Sierra Leone could not replicate last year’s success and finished 9th in this year’s competition.
Host nation Ghana also fell short of the ultimate prize, finishing 6th, meaning the home team could not cook its way to victory on home soil.
Benin claimed the first runner-up position, while Mali finished as second runner-up after putting up strong performances in the competition.
The final standings saw Togo finish 10th, Sierra Leone 9th, Nigeria 8th, The Gambia 7th, Ghana 6th, Gabon 5th, Senegal 4th, Mali 3rd, Benin 2nd and Côte d’Ivoire 1st.
For Côte d’Ivoire, however, the victory means more than simply winning a cooking competition. They now have the bragging rights to say they cooked their way to the top of the 2026 3FM Jollof Wars.
By Joseph Owusu Worae
