NECO expands global footprint to Burkina Faso
By Uji A. Iliyasu, Abuja
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has extended its international operations to Burkina Faso following the successful accreditation of selected schools to conduct the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, disclosed this on Sunday, noting that the accreditation exercise involved a detailed assessment of the schools’ readiness to host the examinations.
During the visit, the NECO Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, ICT facilities, workshops, examination halls, sports facilities, and continuous assessment records. The team also evaluated teacher adequacy and overall security arrangements to ensure full compliance with NECO standards. After the assessment, the schools were granted full accreditation status for both SSCE and BECE.
Sani said the development underscores NECO’s commitment to delivering quality educational assessment across borders. With its growing international presence, he added, the Council is positioning itself as a leading examination body on the continent, creating opportunities for Nigerian students and other nationals worldwide to access its services.
The expansion to Burkina Faso comes shortly after NECO established an examination centre in London, United Kingdom. Existing international centres include Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.
In a related development, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, M.D. Galadima, commended NECO for the initiative during a courtesy visit by the accreditation team to the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou.
Galadima noted that Nigerian parents in Burkina Faso had long faced challenges due to differences in educational systems and the scarcity of English-speaking schools. “Previously, parents had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State, to register and write examinations, exposing them to security risks and imposing heavy financial burdens,” he said.
He stressed that the accreditation of local schools will eliminate those risks and ease the financial strain on both parents and school proprietors. The envoy urged the Nigerian community in Burkina Faso to take full advantage of the new opportunity by enrolling their children for NECO examinations.
Leader of the NECO Accreditation Team, Dr Uche Ezenwanne, said the move will enable Nigerian students residing in Burkina Faso to write both SSCE and BECE without travelling back to Nigeria, further consolidating NECO’s reputation as Africa’s foremost examination body.