The National Examinations Council (NECO) has accredited selected schools in Burkina Faso to host its Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). According to Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, the decision followed a detailed assessment of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, ICT facilities, workshops, exam halls, sports grounds, security and teacher availability in the West African country.
Sani said the schools were granted full accreditation after the evaluation, stressing that the move reflects NECO’s drive to provide credible assessment services beyond Nigeria’s borders. The development builds on NECO’s growing foreign footprint, which already includes centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Saudi Arabia, as well as a newly opened centre in London.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, M.D. Galadima, hailed the accreditation as a major relief for Nigerian families who previously had to send their children back to Nigeria to write NECO exams. He noted that many parents used to take students to Saki in Oyo State to register and sit for exams, exposing them to security risks and significant financial costs, and urged Nigerians in Burkina Faso to take advantage of the new centres.
Leader of the accreditation team, Uche Ezenwanne, said the move means Nigerian students in Burkina Faso can now write SSCE and BECE without travelling home, further entrenching NECO as a regional examination body.
NECO’s Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, recently unveiled the council’s London SSCE centre at the Education Matters Conference UK 2025, in partnership with Barnfield Education Ltd. He said the UK centre is designed to serve Nigerian students and adult learners in the diaspora who need recognised secondary school qualifications or alternative routes to further education.
Wushishi explained that NECO has either established or is processing centres in several African countries and Saudi Arabia, with Egypt and Burkina Faso previously awaiting accreditation. He added that NECO certificates are already accepted by universities such as Birmingham City University and Leeds Trinity University in the UK, and institutions in the United States, Canada, India, China and Russia.
The Registrar reaffirmed NECO’s commitment to fully migrate to Computer-Based Examinations as part of its long-term strategy. Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, endorsed the international expansion, saying it aligns with the federal government’s policy of ensuring access to quality education for Nigerians at home and abroad.
Barnfield Education director Dr. John Ibanga said the London centre offers an alternative for Nigerian students who struggle with British GCSE requirements, as well as adults seeking academic or vocational progression. During a courtesy visit to the Nigerian High Commission in London, Wushishi received assurances of support from Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, who described the initiative as in line with Nigeria’s diaspora engagement and inclusive education agenda.
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