The National Examinations Council (NECO) has officially extended its operations to Burkina Faso by accrediting schools in the West African country to conduct both the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
In a statement issued on Sunday, NECO announced that its accreditation team conducted thorough inspections of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, examination halls, and other facilities, as well as evaluated teacher adequacy and security arrangements before granting full accreditation.
The council described the move as evidence of its commitment to delivering quality education and assessment beyond Nigeria’s borders, adding that it now operates examination centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Saudi Arabia, and London.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, M.D. Galadima, welcomed the development, noting that Nigerian parents in the country previously had to travel long distances to Saki in Oyo State for their children to sit the exams, exposing families to security risks and heavy financial burdens.
With the new accreditation, Nigerian students in Burkina Faso can now write NECO exams locally.Leader of the accreditation team, Uche Ezenwanne, said the expansion reinforces NECO’s status as one of Africa’s foremost examination bodies.
