The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has expressed support for Sierra Leone’s plan to introduce a centralised admissions system (CAS) aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and accountability in tertiary education admissions.
Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday that the assurance was given during a high-level stakeholders’ engagement organised by Sierra Leone’s ministry of technical and higher education (MTHE) in Freetown, as part of broader reforms to modernise the country’s higher education admission process.
Benjamin said the initiative follows a study visit by a Sierra Leonean delegation to Nigeria, where officials observed the operations of the country’s centralised admissions model under JAMB.
He noted that the visit informed a technical mission approved by Tunjia Alausa, minister of education, to enable JAMB share practical implementation experience with Sierra Leone.
According to the JAMB’s spokesperson, Ramatulai Wurie, Sierra Leone’s minister of technical and higher education, said the proposed centralised admissions system has already secured cabinet approval and is backed by the Universities Act of 2021.
She explained that the reform is designed to eliminate inefficiencies in the current decentralised system and introduce a unified digital platform for universities as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions.
Wurie said the project is being implemented in collaboration with key institutions, including the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), the National Telecommunications Authority (NATCA), and other stakeholders.
She added that Sierra Leone’s approach is not to replicate any single country’s model, but to adapt global best practices to its own education system.
She also commended Alausa for supporting the technical cooperation between both countries.
Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara, deputy minister, described the reform as a major step toward transparency, fairness, and efficiency in higher education admissions.
Aziz-Kamara confirmed that cabinet has approved the creation of a centralised admissions secretariat within the ministry to oversee the new digital system.
A key highlight of the engagement was JAMB’s presentation of a framework for a national digital admissions architecture designed to improve data integrity, eliminate duplication, and strengthen education planning.
Is-haq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, commended Sierra Leone for its inclusive reform process, noting that Nigeria introduced its centralised admissions system in 1978 to address similar challenges.
Oloyede assured that JAMB would continue to provide technical support throughout the implementation process.
He stressed that the goal is not to export Nigeria’s system wholesale, but to help Sierra Leone develop a model tailored to its national realities.
The engagement was attended by senior education stakeholders, including representatives of TEC and NATCA, alongside vice-chancellors, principals and education sector leaders.
The visit marks a renewed milestone in educational cooperation between Nigeria and Sierra Leone, reinforcing both countries’ commitment to expanding access to quality higher education through innovation and institutional collaboration.
