The National Examinations Council (NECO) has extended its global footprint to Burkina Faso after accrediting a number of schools in the country to administer the senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE) and the basic education certificate examination (BECE).
A statement by Azeez Sani, NECO spokesperson, said the council’s accreditation team visited the schools to assess their readiness, inspecting classrooms, laboratories, libraries, ICT facilities, workshops, examination halls, sports facilities, continuous assessment structures, as well as staffing levels and security arrangements.
Following what NECO described as a comprehensive evaluation exercise, the schools were granted full accreditation for both examinations.
The development marks another step in the council’s drive to broaden access to its examinations beyond NECO accredits schools in Burkina Faso for SSCE, BEC Nigeria.
Sani said the expansion underscores its commitment to providing quality assessment services across Africa and supporting educational advancement on the continent.
The council currently operates examination centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Saudi Arabia and, most recently, London in the United Kingdom (UK).
During a courtesy visit by the accreditation team to the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou, the Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, M.D. Galadima, applauded NECO for the initiative.
He noted that Nigerian families in the country had long faced difficulties due to differences in educational systems and the absence of English-based schools.
“Previously, parents had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State, to register and write the examination, exposing them to security risks and imposing heavy financial burdens on families and school proprietors,” he said.
Galadima added that accrediting schools in Burkina Faso would eliminate travel-related risks and reduce costs for parents, urging the Nigerian community in the country to take advantage of the opportunity.
Leader of the NECO accreditation team, Uche Ezenwanne, said the move would allow Nigerian students living in Burkina Faso to sit for the SSCE and BECE without travelling home, strengthening NECO’s position as a leading examination body in Africa.
